Current Governor of Sinaloa, Mexico, to Face U.S. Drug Trafficking Charges

The U.S. Department of Justice announced the unsealing of a criminal indictment against a sitting Mexican governor and his closest allies. The case is historic in nature since it is the first time that a sitting Mexican governor has been named in a cartel-connected criminal case.

On Wednesday afternoon, the U.S. District Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced that it obtained a criminal indictment against Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha Moya and some of his top law enforcement officials on drug conspiracy charges for their alleged role in helping the Sinaloa Cartel move tons of drugs in exchange for political support and bribes.

“To protect and grow this drug trafficking empire, the (Sinaloa) Cartel has allegedly partnered with corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials, including the defendants, who have abused their authority in support of the Cartel, exposed and subjected victims to threats and violence, and sold out their offices in exchange for massive bribes,” federal prosecutors revealed in a prepared statement.

All of the individuals named in the indictment face a minimum of 40 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted. The indictment names:

• Ruben Rocha Moya, the Governor of Sinaloa
• Enrique Inzunza Cazarez, a sitting Mexican senator and former Secretary General for Sinaloa.
• Enrique Diaz Vega, the former Secretary of Finance for Sinaloa
• Damaso Castro Zaavedra, the Deputy Attorney General for Sinaloa
• Marco Antonio Almanza Aviles, the former head of the Sinaloa State Attorney General’s Office Investigative Police
• Alberto Jorge “Cholo” Contrera Nunez, the former head of the Sinaloa State Attorney General’s Office Investigative Police
• Gerardo Merida Sanchez, the former secretary of Public Security for Sinaloa
• Jose Antonio “Tornado” Dionisio Hipolito, the former deputy director for the Sinaloa State Police
• Juan De Dios Gamez Mendivil, the Mayor of Culiacan

Soon after the indictment was released, Rocha Moya took to social media to claim his innocence.

Mexico’s Foreign Relations Secretariat revealed that it had received a series of temporary arrest warrants against the individuals and had turned the case over to Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office. However, they noted that the documents sent by U.S. prosecutors did not include any proof of the alleged crimes.