Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha Resumes Office Amid US Drug Trafficking Charges

Sinaloa state Governor Ruben Rocha Moya has officially returned to his post following accusations of drug trafficking leveled by the United States government. On Friday, Rocha announced via social media that he had resumed his official duties after previously taking a leave of absence on May 1. During his absence, he consistently maintained his innocence regarding US charges that he protected a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel in exchange for political backing.

“Today, I return to my responsibilities as governor of Sinaloa with a clear conscience and my head held high, with the power of the truth on our side,” Rocha stated. “Let there be no doubt: Now and always, I will defend — relentlessly and without compromise — my honour and that of my family.”

Rocha is among several high-ranking Mexican officials targeted with criminal charges and punitive actions during the second administration of US President Donald Trump. Since returning to office in 2025, President Trump has aggressively targeted crime across the Western Hemisphere, designating groups like the Sinaloa Cartel as foreign terrorist organizations and threatening potential military action inside Mexico while accusing the Mexican government of being overrun by cartels.

On April 29, the Trump administration unsealed an indictment against 10 Mexican officials and business figures, including a senator representing Sinaloa, the state's public security secretary, the mayor of Culiacan, and multiple top police leaders. Rocha was prominently included in this indicted group.

A former senator, Rocha is a prominent leader within the left-wing Morena party, which currently dominates Mexican politics. His ties to the party's founder, former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, span decades. According to US court filings, the Trump administration alleged that Rocha won his 2021 gubernatorial election by collaborating with The Chapitos, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel led by the sons of imprisoned kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. Prosecutors claimed The Chapitos rigged ballots and kidnapped opposition figures, while Rocha allegedly allowed them to place corrupt officials in positions of power across Sinaloa.

In response, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has demanded that the US government provide concrete evidence. “No Mexican citizen — regardless of political party affiliation, or whether they belong to a party at all, or whether they are a public official — should be denied a fair trial. If they are accused, there must be evidence to support that accusation,” President Sheinbaum stated in May, suggesting that Mexican authorities should oversee the case.

Rocha framed his temporary leave as an effort to cooperate with the Mexican Attorney General’s Office (FGR) as they investigated the US allegations. In his Friday social media statement, Rocha claimed exoneration, writing, “After 112 days of investigation, the Attorney General’s Office has already announced at a news conference that there is not a shred of evidence to support any claim of my involvement in criminal conduct.” He also praised President Sheinbaum for defending national sovereignty against foreign interference.

However, the Mexican Secretariat of the Interior issued a subsequent statement that seemingly contradicted aspects of Rocha's remarks, clarifying that the Attorney General’s Office still maintains open investigations into all 10 individuals named by the United States Department of Justice, including the governor of Sinaloa. The agency noted that Rocha's return was a personal choice while reiterating calls for the US to share its evidence.