Gov. Rubén Rocha Moya of Mexico's Sinaloa state and Mayor Juan de Dios Gámez Mendívil of the state capital Culiacán announced they would take temporary leaves of absence after U.S. federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment charging them and eight other politicians and security officers with drug trafficking. The May 2 announcement marked the highest-profile action yet in what prosecutors described as a years-long scheme to protect the Sinaloa cartel in exchange for millions of dollars in bribes.
Both officials, members of President Claudia Sheinbaum's Morena party, deny the allegations. Rocha, who has governed Sinaloa for six years, posted a video statement at midnight Friday denying he protected the cartel or accepted payments. "My conscience is clear," said Rocha, 76. "To my people and to my family, I can look you in the eye because I have never betrayed you, and I never will." The state's legislature appointed Yeraldine Bonilla Valverde, a Rocha ally, as interim governor during his leave.
What the Right Is Saying
Opposition figures quickly seized on the indictment as evidence of corruption within Morena's ranks. Critics note this marks the second major scandal involving Rocha and cartel connections; in 2024, a published letter written by a kidnapped Sinaloa cartel capo mentioned the governor by name, stating he was en route to meet Rocha when abducted. Conservative commentators have questioned Sheinbaum's commitment to dismantling cartel influence, arguing her initial defense of Mexican sovereignty over prosecution rights signals reluctance to fully confront allies implicated in drug trafficking. The opposition PAN party has called for full transparency and demanded that Mexico's attorney general pursue independent investigations rather than deferring to federal authorities.
What the Left Is Saying
Sheinbaum defended her party's anti-corruption record while asserting Mexican sovereignty. At a Friday press conference, she stated that anyone found to have committed crimes would face justice but emphasized that any trials must occur in Mexico, not the United States. "We will never subordinate ourselves because this is a matter of the dignity of the Mexican people," she said. Rocha, in his video address, argued the indictment was politically motivated against Morena. "I will not allow myself to be used to harm the movement to which I belong — one that has improved the lives of millions of Mexican men and women," he said. The governor noted he is a longtime ally of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who pioneered the hands-off "hugs not bullets" approach to organized crime that Sheinbaum has since distanced from.
What the Numbers Show
The U.S. indictment names 10 individuals total, including Rocha, Gámez Mendívil, and eight other politicians and security officers. Under Mexican law, sitting governors and mayors enjoy immunity from criminal prosecution; removing that protection requires congressional impeachment proceedings. The Mexican attorney general's office has stated it will not arrest the accused while investigations are pending, contrary to U.S. requests for immediate detention. Sinaloa state represents Mexico's fifth-largest by population with approximately 3 million residents. Rocha has served as governor since 2021 and previously held positions in López Obrador's administration.
The Bottom Line
The indictment presents Sheinbaum with a difficult political balance: honoring her party's anti-corruption platform while defending national sovereignty against U.S. pressure. President Donald Trump's administration has threatened military action against cartels operating on Mexican soil, making the prosecution of these cases diplomatically charged. Rocha and Gámez Mendívil's decision to take temporary leaves rather than resign allows them to retain legal immunity while contesting the charges in Mexico. What happens next will likely depend on whether Mexican prosecutors find "irrefutable evidence" — the threshold Sheinbaum set for pursuing domestic prosecution — or face pressure to extradite suspects to U.S. courts.