The governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, Ruben Rocha Moya, has returned to his post after facing accusations of drug trafficking from the United States government. On Friday, Rocha announced on social media that he had resumed his duties, after taking a leave of absence on May 1. He used his post to maintain his innocence after the US charged him with protecting a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel in exchange for help with his political career.
Since returning to office in 2025, Trump has sought to crack down on crime across the Western Hemisphere, including by labelling gangs like the Sinaloa Cartel as “foreign terrorist organisations”. Trump has also threatened military action in Mexico. He has accused the country’s cartels of “orchestrating much of the bloodshed and chaos in this hemisphere” and has depicted the Mexican government as overrun by criminal elements.
On April 29, the Trump administration unsealed a criminal indictment against 10 Mexican officials and businessmen. They included a senator representing Sinaloa, a public security secretary for the state, the mayor of the city Culiacan and several high-ranking police leaders. Rocha was among the group that was indicted.
Previously a senator, he is considered a top official in the left-wing Morena party, which has become a dominant force in Mexican politics. His relationship with the party’s founder, former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, stretches back decades. In the indictment, the Trump administration accused Rocha of winning his election as governor in 2021 by collaborating with The Chapitos, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel led by the children of imprisoned kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
The Chapitos, according to the court filings, stole ballots for Rocha’s election rivals and kidnapped opposition members. In return, US prosecutors alleged that Rocha allowed The Chapitos to “install other corrupt officials in positions of power” in the state of Sinaloa. But Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s president and another Morena party leader, has called on the US government to provide definitive proof in the case.
If they are accused, there must be evidence to support that accusation,” Sheinbaum said in May. She also suggested the Mexican government should handle the case. Simply: Do you have evidence against the governor who is on leave?
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