Federal prosecutors have filed drug trafficking charges against ten current and former Mexican government officials, including the sitting governor of Sinaloa state, accusing them of facilitating the movement of narcotics into the United States in exchange for bribes and political support.
The 34-page indictment, unsealed Wednesday in the Southern District of New York, names Ruben Rocha Moya, who has served as Sinaloa’s governor since 2021, along with nine other officials. Prosecutors allege the defendants aided the Sinaloa cartel in transporting fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine across the U.S.-Mexico border.
According to the charges, Rocha Moya allegedly conspired with the Sinaloa cartel’s leadership during his 2021 gubernatorial campaign. The cartel is reportedly controlled by the sons of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera, known collectively as the “Chapitos.” Prosecutors claim Rocha met with cartel members multiple times during his campaign, providing them with names and addresses of political opponents for intimidation purposes.
The indictment alleges the cartel assisted Rocha’s electoral victory through various illegal means, including stealing ballots and ballot boxes belonging to opposing parties. In return, prosecutors say Rocha agreed to appoint officials sympathetic to the cartel’s operations once in office.
Since becoming governor, prosecutors allege Rocha has fulfilled these promises, allowing the Chapitos to establish significant control over state and local law enforcement agencies throughout Sinaloa. The indictment suggests this arrangement has enabled the cartel to operate with reduced interference from authorities.
Rocha faces three federal charges: narcotics importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. The weapons charges stem from alleged meetings with cartel members that were reportedly protected by armed guards. If convicted on all counts, Rocha could face between 40 years and life in federal prison.
The governor has publicly denied all allegations. In a statement released on social media Wednesday, Rocha declared he “categorically and absolutely” rejects the charges, describing them as lacking truth or foundation. He characterized the indictment as part of a strategy to violate constitutional order and pledged to demonstrate the charges’ lack of merit.
Among the other defendants named are the mayor of Culiacan, a Mexican senator, and various executive and law enforcement officials from Sinaloa. Eight of these co-defendants face the same three charges as Rocha, each carrying potential sentences ranging from 40 years to life imprisonment.
One defendant faces additional charges. Juan “Juanito” Valenzuela Millan, identified as a former high-level commander in the Culiacan Municipal Police, is accused of directly assisting the cartel in kidnapping and murdering rivals. Prosecutors allege Millan’s officers participated in kidnapping operations, including one involving a DEA source and relatives. According to the Justice Department, one victim was a 13-year-old boy. The indictment claims municipal officers under Millan’s command stopped victims in patrol cars before turning them over to cartel members for torture and execution.
Millan faces five charges total, including kidnapping resulting in death and conspiracy to commit kidnapping resulting in death, in addition to the three counts filed against the other defendants.
None of the ten defendants are currently in custody. The Sinaloa cartel was designated as a terrorist organization by the Department of State in 2025, one of eight Latin American criminal organizations to receive this classification.
The cartel’s founder, Joaquin Guzman, is currently serving a life sentence in a U.S. federal prison. Another founding member, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia, pleaded guilty to federal crimes last year in the Eastern District of New York and awaits sentencing next month, where he is expected to receive life imprisonment.
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