U.S. Indicts Morena Senator Inzunza Cázarez for Sinaloa Cartel Protection Scheme

U.S. federal authorities unsealed an indictment against Enrique Inzunza Cázarez, Morena senator from Sinaloa, charging him with acting as a liaison between the Sinaloa Cartel's 'Los Chapitos' faction and the Sinaloa state government. Inzunza was accused of providing protection, controlling law enforcement, and facilitating cartel drug trafficking operations. Opposition parties immediately demanded his impeachment (desafuero). The scandal put pressure on President Sheinbaum and the Morena movement, directly echoing critics' long-standing accusations that AMLO's 'abrazos no balazos' doctrine had normalized cartel accommodation within government structures. The indictment arrived less than two years after Ovidio Guzmán's own 2024 US plea deal confirmed systematic bribery of Mexican officials during the AMLO era.