MEXICO CITY — The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday indicted Rúben Rocha Moya, the governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, accusing him of trafficking drugs with the infamous Sinaloa cartel.
Nine other current and former Mexican officials also were indicted, according to the department.
The indictment of a sitting governor by U.S. authorities has little precedent in U.S.-Mexico relations and denotes a major escalation by the Trump administration in its efforts to combat criminal syndicates in Mexico.
“The Sinaloa cartel is a ruthless criminal organization that has flooded this community with dangerous drugs for decades,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton in a statement. “As the indictment lays bare, the Sinaloa cartel, and other drug trafficking organizations like it, would not operate as freely or successfully without corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials on their payroll.”
On Sunday the Times reported that U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson had hinted last week that the U.S. would take an aggressive approach toward corruption in Mexico.
Speaking at a ground-breaking ceremony in Sinaloa, Johnson said, “We may soon see significant action on this front. So, stay tuned.”
Rocha Moya was elected governor in 2021, but his popularity in the northern state dropped after he failed to contain a war between two Sinaloa cartel factions, the sons of former leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
The sons are locked in a battle for the throne of the cartel after one of Guzmán’s sons, Joaquín Guzmán, abducted Zambada and flew him in a private jet to an airport outside El Paso, Texas, where authorities arrested both of them.
Since the war began, thousands of people have been killed or disappeared and Rocha Moya has not been able to contain the violence.
Allegations of ties to criminal groups have swirled around Rocha Moya since he became governor.
The septuagenarian governor has managed to survive sundry political scandals, Mexican observers say, because of a key fact: His longtime friendship with ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the predecessor and mentor of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Rocha Moya is one of a number of top politicians viewed as protected by their associations with López Obrador.
This is a developing story. Fisher is a special correspondent.
MEXICO CITY — The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday indicted Rúben Rocha Moya, the governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, accusing him of trafficking drugs with the infamous Sinaloa cartel.
Nine other current and former Mexican officials also were indicted, according to the department.
The indictment of a sitting governor by U.S. authorities has little precedent in U.S.-Mexico relations and denotes a major escalation by the Trump administration in its efforts to combat criminal syndicates in Mexico.
“The Sinaloa cartel is a ruthless criminal organization that has flooded this community with dangerous drugs for decades,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton in a statement. “As the indictment lays bare, the Sinaloa cartel, and other drug trafficking organizations like it, would not operate as freely or successfully without corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials on their payroll.”
On Sunday the Times reported that U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson had hinted last week that the U.S. would take an aggressive approach toward corruption in Mexico.
Speaking at a ground-breaking ceremony in Sinaloa, Johnson said, “We may soon see significant action on this front. So, stay tuned.”
Rocha Moya was elected governor in 2021, but his popularity in the northern state dropped after he failed to contain a war between two Sinaloa cartel factions, the sons of former leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
The sons are locked in a battle for the throne of the cartel after one of Guzmán’s sons, Joaquín Guzmán, abducted Zambada and flew him in a private jet to an airport outside El Paso, Texas, where authorities arrested both of them.
Since the war began, thousands of people have been killed or disappeared and Rocha Moya has not been able to contain the violence.
Allegations of ties to criminal groups have swirled around Rocha Moya since he became governor.
The septuagenarian governor has managed to survive sundry political scandals, Mexican observers say, because of a key fact: His longtime friendship with ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the predecessor and mentor of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Rocha Moya is one of a number of top politicians viewed as protected by their associations with López Obrador.
This is a developing story. Fisher is a special correspondent.
MEXICO CITY — The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday indicted Rúben Rocha Moya, the governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, accusing him of trafficking drugs with the infamous Sinaloa cartel.
Nine other current and former Mexican officials also were indicted, according to the department.
The indictment of a sitting governor by U.S. authorities has little precedent in U.S.-Mexico relations and denotes a major escalation by the Trump administration in its efforts to combat criminal syndicates in Mexico.
“The Sinaloa cartel is a ruthless criminal organization that has flooded this community with dangerous drugs for decades,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton in a statement. “As the indictment lays bare, the Sinaloa cartel, and other drug trafficking organizations like it, would not operate as freely or successfully without corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials on their payroll.”
On Sunday the Times reported that U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson had hinted last week that the U.S. would take an aggressive approach toward corruption in Mexico.
Speaking at a ground-breaking ceremony in Sinaloa, Johnson said, “We may soon see significant action on this front. So, stay tuned.”
Rocha Moya was elected governor in 2021, but his popularity in the northern state dropped after he failed to contain a war between two Sinaloa cartel factions, the sons of former leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
The sons are locked in a battle for the throne of the cartel after one of Guzmán’s sons, Joaquín Guzmán, abducted Zambada and flew him in a private jet to an airport outside El Paso, Texas, where authorities arrested both of them.
Since the war began, thousands of people have been killed or disappeared and Rocha Moya has not been able to contain the violence.
Allegations of ties to criminal groups have swirled around Rocha Moya since he became governor.
The septuagenarian governor has managed to survive sundry political scandals, Mexican observers say, because of a key fact: His longtime friendship with ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the predecessor and mentor of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Rocha Moya is one of a number of top politicians viewed as protected by their associations with López Obrador.
This is a developing story. Fisher is a special correspondent.
MEXICO CITY — The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday indicted Rúben Rocha Moya, the governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, accusing him of trafficking drugs with the infamous Sinaloa cartel.
Nine other current and former Mexican officials also were indicted, according to the department.
The indictment of a sitting governor by U.S. authorities has little precedent in U.S.-Mexico relations and denotes a major escalation by the Trump administration in its efforts to combat criminal syndicates in Mexico.
“The Sinaloa cartel is a ruthless criminal organization that has flooded this community with dangerous drugs for decades,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton in a statement. “As the indictment lays bare, the Sinaloa cartel, and other drug trafficking organizations like it, would not operate as freely or successfully without corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials on their payroll.”
On Sunday the Times reported that U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson had hinted last week that the U.S. would take an aggressive approach toward corruption in Mexico.
Speaking at a ground-breaking ceremony in Sinaloa, Johnson said, “We may soon see significant action on this front. So, stay tuned.”
Rocha Moya was elected governor in 2021, but his popularity in the northern state dropped after he failed to contain a war between two Sinaloa cartel factions, the sons of former leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
The sons are locked in a battle for the throne of the cartel after one of Guzmán’s sons, Joaquín Guzmán, abducted Zambada and flew him in a private jet to an airport outside El Paso, Texas, where authorities arrested both of them.
Since the war began, thousands of people have been killed or disappeared and Rocha Moya has not been able to contain the violence.
Allegations of ties to criminal groups have swirled around Rocha Moya since he became governor.
The septuagenarian governor has managed to survive sundry political scandals, Mexican observers say, because of a key fact: His longtime friendship with ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the predecessor and mentor of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Rocha Moya is one of a number of top politicians viewed as protected by their associations with López Obrador.
This is a developing story. Fisher is a special correspondent.
MEXICO CITY — The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday indicted Rúben Rocha Moya, the governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, accusing him of trafficking drugs with the infamous Sinaloa cartel.
Nine other current and former Mexican officials also were indicted, according to the department.
The indictment of a sitting governor by U.S. authorities has little precedent in U.S.-Mexico relations and denotes a major escalation by the Trump administration in its efforts to combat criminal syndicates in Mexico.
“The Sinaloa cartel is a ruthless criminal organization that has flooded this community with dangerous drugs for decades,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton in a statement. “As the indictment lays bare, the Sinaloa cartel, and other drug trafficking organizations like it, would not operate as freely or successfully without corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials on their payroll.”
On Sunday the Times reported that U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson had hinted last week that the U.S. would take an aggressive approach toward corruption in Mexico.
Speaking at a ground-breaking ceremony in Sinaloa, Johnson said, “We may soon see significant action on this front. So, stay tuned.”
Rocha Moya was elected governor in 2021, but his popularity in the northern state dropped after he failed to contain a war between two Sinaloa cartel factions, the sons of former leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
The sons are locked in a battle for the throne of the cartel after one of Guzmán’s sons, Joaquín Guzmán, abducted Zambada and flew him in a private jet to an airport outside El Paso, Texas, where authorities arrested both of them.
Since the war began, thousands of people have been killed or disappeared and Rocha Moya has not been able to contain the violence.
Allegations of ties to criminal groups have swirled around Rocha Moya since he became governor.
The septuagenarian governor has managed to survive sundry political scandals, Mexican observers say, because of a key fact: His longtime friendship with ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the predecessor and mentor of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Rocha Moya is one of a number of top politicians viewed as protected by their associations with López Obrador.
This is a developing story. Fisher is a special correspondent.
MEXICO CITY — The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday indicted Rúben Rocha Moya, the governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, accusing him of trafficking drugs with the infamous Sinaloa cartel.
Nine other current and former Mexican officials also were indicted, according to the department.
The indictment of a sitting governor by U.S. authorities has little precedent in U.S.-Mexico relations and denotes a major escalation by the Trump administration in its efforts to combat criminal syndicates in Mexico.
“The Sinaloa cartel is a ruthless criminal organization that has flooded this community with dangerous drugs for decades,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton in a statement. “As the indictment lays bare, the Sinaloa cartel, and other drug trafficking organizations like it, would not operate as freely or successfully without corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials on their payroll.”
On Sunday the Times reported that U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson had hinted last week that the U.S. would take an aggressive approach toward corruption in Mexico.
Speaking at a ground-breaking ceremony in Sinaloa, Johnson said, “We may soon see significant action on this front. So, stay tuned.”
Rocha Moya was elected governor in 2021, but his popularity in the northern state dropped after he failed to contain a war between two Sinaloa cartel factions, the sons of former leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
The sons are locked in a battle for the throne of the cartel after one of Guzmán’s sons, Joaquín Guzmán, abducted Zambada and flew him in a private jet to an airport outside El Paso, Texas, where authorities arrested both of them.
Since the war began, thousands of people have been killed or disappeared and Rocha Moya has not been able to contain the violence.
Allegations of ties to criminal groups have swirled around Rocha Moya since he became governor.
The septuagenarian governor has managed to survive sundry political scandals, Mexican observers say, because of a key fact: His longtime friendship with ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the predecessor and mentor of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Rocha Moya is one of a number of top politicians viewed as protected by their associations with López Obrador.
This is a developing story. Fisher is a special correspondent.
MEXICO CITY — The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday indicted Rúben Rocha Moya, the governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, accusing him of trafficking drugs with the infamous Sinaloa cartel.
Nine other current and former Mexican officials also were indicted, according to the department.
The indictment of a sitting governor by U.S. authorities has little precedent in U.S.-Mexico relations and denotes a major escalation by the Trump administration in its efforts to combat criminal syndicates in Mexico.
“The Sinaloa cartel is a ruthless criminal organization that has flooded this community with dangerous drugs for decades,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton in a statement. “As the indictment lays bare, the Sinaloa cartel, and other drug trafficking organizations like it, would not operate as freely or successfully without corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials on their payroll.”
On Sunday the Times reported that U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson had hinted last week that the U.S. would take an aggressive approach toward corruption in Mexico.
Speaking at a ground-breaking ceremony in Sinaloa, Johnson said, “We may soon see significant action on this front. So, stay tuned.”
Rocha Moya was elected governor in 2021, but his popularity in the northern state dropped after he failed to contain a war between two Sinaloa cartel factions, the sons of former leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
The sons are locked in a battle for the throne of the cartel after one of Guzmán’s sons, Joaquín Guzmán, abducted Zambada and flew him in a private jet to an airport outside El Paso, Texas, where authorities arrested both of them.
Since the war began, thousands of people have been killed or disappeared and Rocha Moya has not been able to contain the violence.
Allegations of ties to criminal groups have swirled around Rocha Moya since he became governor.
The septuagenarian governor has managed to survive sundry political scandals, Mexican observers say, because of a key fact: His longtime friendship with ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the predecessor and mentor of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Rocha Moya is one of a number of top politicians viewed as protected by their associations with López Obrador.
This is a developing story. Fisher is a special correspondent.
MEXICO CITY — The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday indicted Rúben Rocha Moya, the governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, accusing him of trafficking drugs with the infamous Sinaloa cartel.
Nine other current and former Mexican officials also were indicted, according to the department.
The indictment of a sitting governor by U.S. authorities has little precedent in U.S.-Mexico relations and denotes a major escalation by the Trump administration in its efforts to combat criminal syndicates in Mexico.
“The Sinaloa cartel is a ruthless criminal organization that has flooded this community with dangerous drugs for decades,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton in a statement. “As the indictment lays bare, the Sinaloa cartel, and other drug trafficking organizations like it, would not operate as freely or successfully without corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials on their payroll.”
On Sunday the Times reported that U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson had hinted last week that the U.S. would take an aggressive approach toward corruption in Mexico.
Speaking at a ground-breaking ceremony in Sinaloa, Johnson said, “We may soon see significant action on this front. So, stay tuned.”
Rocha Moya was elected governor in 2021, but his popularity in the northern state dropped after he failed to contain a war between two Sinaloa cartel factions, the sons of former leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
The sons are locked in a battle for the throne of the cartel after one of Guzmán’s sons, Joaquín Guzmán, abducted Zambada and flew him in a private jet to an airport outside El Paso, Texas, where authorities arrested both of them.
Since the war began, thousands of people have been killed or disappeared and Rocha Moya has not been able to contain the violence.
Allegations of ties to criminal groups have swirled around Rocha Moya since he became governor.
The septuagenarian governor has managed to survive sundry political scandals, Mexican observers say, because of a key fact: His longtime friendship with ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the predecessor and mentor of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Rocha Moya is one of a number of top politicians viewed as protected by their associations with López Obrador.
This is a developing story. Fisher is a special correspondent.
MEXICO CITY — The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday indicted Rúben Rocha Moya, the governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, accusing him of trafficking drugs with the infamous Sinaloa cartel.
Nine other current and former Mexican officials also were indicted, according to the department.
The indictment of a sitting governor by U.S. authorities has little precedent in U.S.-Mexico relations and denotes a major escalation by the Trump administration in its efforts to combat criminal syndicates in Mexico.
“The Sinaloa cartel is a ruthless criminal organization that has flooded this community with dangerous drugs for decades,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton in a statement. “As the indictment lays bare, the Sinaloa cartel, and other drug trafficking organizations like it, would not operate as freely or successfully without corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials on their payroll.”
On Sunday the Times reported that U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson had hinted last week that the U.S. would take an aggressive approach toward corruption in Mexico.
Speaking at a ground-breaking ceremony in Sinaloa, Johnson said, “We may soon see significant action on this front. So, stay tuned.”
Rocha Moya was elected governor in 2021, but his popularity in the northern state dropped after he failed to contain a war between two Sinaloa cartel factions, the sons of former leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
The sons are locked in a battle for the throne of the cartel after one of Guzmán’s sons, Joaquín Guzmán, abducted Zambada and flew him in a private jet to an airport outside El Paso, Texas, where authorities arrested both of them.
Since the war began, thousands of people have been killed or disappeared and Rocha Moya has not been able to contain the violence.
Allegations of ties to criminal groups have swirled around Rocha Moya since he became governor.
The septuagenarian governor has managed to survive sundry political scandals, Mexican observers say, because of a key fact: His longtime friendship with ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the predecessor and mentor of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Rocha Moya is one of a number of top politicians viewed as protected by their associations with López Obrador.
This is a developing story. Fisher is a special correspondent.
MEXICO CITY — The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday indicted Rúben Rocha Moya, the governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, accusing him of trafficking drugs with the infamous Sinaloa cartel.
Nine other current and former Mexican officials also were indicted, according to the department.
The indictment of a sitting governor by U.S. authorities has little precedent in U.S.-Mexico relations and denotes a major escalation by the Trump administration in its efforts to combat criminal syndicates in Mexico.
“The Sinaloa cartel is a ruthless criminal organization that has flooded this community with dangerous drugs for decades,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton in a statement. “As the indictment lays bare, the Sinaloa cartel, and other drug trafficking organizations like it, would not operate as freely or successfully without corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials on their payroll.”
On Sunday the Times reported that U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson had hinted last week that the U.S. would take an aggressive approach toward corruption in Mexico.
Speaking at a ground-breaking ceremony in Sinaloa, Johnson said, “We may soon see significant action on this front. So, stay tuned.”
Rocha Moya was elected governor in 2021, but his popularity in the northern state dropped after he failed to contain a war between two Sinaloa cartel factions, the sons of former leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
The sons are locked in a battle for the throne of the cartel after one of Guzmán’s sons, Joaquín Guzmán, abducted Zambada and flew him in a private jet to an airport outside El Paso, Texas, where authorities arrested both of them.
Since the war began, thousands of people have been killed or disappeared and Rocha Moya has not been able to contain the violence.
Allegations of ties to criminal groups have swirled around Rocha Moya since he became governor.
The septuagenarian governor has managed to survive sundry political scandals, Mexican observers say, because of a key fact: His longtime friendship with ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the predecessor and mentor of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Rocha Moya is one of a number of top politicians viewed as protected by their associations with López Obrador.
This is a developing story. Fisher is a special correspondent.
MEXICO CITY — The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday indicted Rúben Rocha Moya, the governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, accusing him of trafficking drugs with the infamous Sinaloa cartel.
Nine other current and former Mexican officials also were indicted, according to the department.
The indictment of a sitting governor by U.S. authorities has little precedent in U.S.-Mexico relations and denotes a major escalation by the Trump administration in its efforts to combat criminal syndicates in Mexico.
“The Sinaloa cartel is a ruthless criminal organization that has flooded this community with dangerous drugs for decades,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton in a statement. “As the indictment lays bare, the Sinaloa cartel, and other drug trafficking organizations like it, would not operate as freely or successfully without corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials on their payroll.”
On Sunday the Times reported that U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson had hinted last week that the U.S. would take an aggressive approach toward corruption in Mexico.
Speaking at a ground-breaking ceremony in Sinaloa, Johnson said, “We may soon see significant action on this front. So, stay tuned.”
Rocha Moya was elected governor in 2021, but his popularity in the northern state dropped after he failed to contain a war between two Sinaloa cartel factions, the sons of former leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
The sons are locked in a battle for the throne of the cartel after one of Guzmán’s sons, Joaquín Guzmán, abducted Zambada and flew him in a private jet to an airport outside El Paso, Texas, where authorities arrested both of them.
Since the war began, thousands of people have been killed or disappeared and Rocha Moya has not been able to contain the violence.
Allegations of ties to criminal groups have swirled around Rocha Moya since he became governor.
The septuagenarian governor has managed to survive sundry political scandals, Mexican observers say, because of a key fact: His longtime friendship with ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the predecessor and mentor of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Rocha Moya is one of a number of top politicians viewed as protected by their associations with López Obrador.
This is a developing story. Fisher is a special correspondent.
MEXICO CITY — The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday indicted Rúben Rocha Moya, the governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, accusing him of trafficking drugs with the infamous Sinaloa cartel.
Nine other current and former Mexican officials also were indicted, according to the department.
The indictment of a sitting governor by U.S. authorities has little precedent in U.S.-Mexico relations and denotes a major escalation by the Trump administration in its efforts to combat criminal syndicates in Mexico.
“The Sinaloa cartel is a ruthless criminal organization that has flooded this community with dangerous drugs for decades,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton in a statement. “As the indictment lays bare, the Sinaloa cartel, and other drug trafficking organizations like it, would not operate as freely or successfully without corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials on their payroll.”
On Sunday the Times reported that U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson had hinted last week that the U.S. would take an aggressive approach toward corruption in Mexico.
Speaking at a ground-breaking ceremony in Sinaloa, Johnson said, “We may soon see significant action on this front. So, stay tuned.”
Rocha Moya was elected governor in 2021, but his popularity in the northern state dropped after he failed to contain a war between two Sinaloa cartel factions, the sons of former leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
The sons are locked in a battle for the throne of the cartel after one of Guzmán’s sons, Joaquín Guzmán, abducted Zambada and flew him in a private jet to an airport outside El Paso, Texas, where authorities arrested both of them.
Since the war began, thousands of people have been killed or disappeared and Rocha Moya has not been able to contain the violence.
Allegations of ties to criminal groups have swirled around Rocha Moya since he became governor.
The septuagenarian governor has managed to survive sundry political scandals, Mexican observers say, because of a key fact: His longtime friendship with ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the predecessor and mentor of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Rocha Moya is one of a number of top politicians viewed as protected by their associations with López Obrador.
This is a developing story. Fisher is a special correspondent.
MEXICO CITY — The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday indicted Rúben Rocha Moya, the governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, accusing him of trafficking drugs with the infamous Sinaloa cartel.
Nine other current and former Mexican officials also were indicted, according to the department.
The indictment of a sitting governor by U.S. authorities has little precedent in U.S.-Mexico relations and denotes a major escalation by the Trump administration in its efforts to combat criminal syndicates in Mexico.
“The Sinaloa cartel is a ruthless criminal organization that has flooded this community with dangerous drugs for decades,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton in a statement. “As the indictment lays bare, the Sinaloa cartel, and other drug trafficking organizations like it, would not operate as freely or successfully without corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials on their payroll.”
On Sunday the Times reported that U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson had hinted last week that the U.S. would take an aggressive approach toward corruption in Mexico.
Speaking at a ground-breaking ceremony in Sinaloa, Johnson said, “We may soon see significant action on this front. So, stay tuned.”
Rocha Moya was elected governor in 2021, but his popularity in the northern state dropped after he failed to contain a war between two Sinaloa cartel factions, the sons of former leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
The sons are locked in a battle for the throne of the cartel after one of Guzmán’s sons, Joaquín Guzmán, abducted Zambada and flew him in a private jet to an airport outside El Paso, Texas, where authorities arrested both of them.
Since the war began, thousands of people have been killed or disappeared and Rocha Moya has not been able to contain the violence.
Allegations of ties to criminal groups have swirled around Rocha Moya since he became governor.
The septuagenarian governor has managed to survive sundry political scandals, Mexican observers say, because of a key fact: His longtime friendship with ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the predecessor and mentor of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Rocha Moya is one of a number of top politicians viewed as protected by their associations with López Obrador.
This is a developing story. Fisher is a special correspondent.
MEXICO CITY — The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday indicted Rúben Rocha Moya, the governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, accusing him of trafficking drugs with the infamous Sinaloa cartel.
Nine other current and former Mexican officials also were indicted, according to the department.
The indictment of a sitting governor by U.S. authorities has little precedent in U.S.-Mexico relations and denotes a major escalation by the Trump administration in its efforts to combat criminal syndicates in Mexico.
“The Sinaloa cartel is a ruthless criminal organization that has flooded this community with dangerous drugs for decades,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton in a statement. “As the indictment lays bare, the Sinaloa cartel, and other drug trafficking organizations like it, would not operate as freely or successfully without corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials on their payroll.”
On Sunday the Times reported that U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson had hinted last week that the U.S. would take an aggressive approach toward corruption in Mexico.
Speaking at a ground-breaking ceremony in Sinaloa, Johnson said, “We may soon see significant action on this front. So, stay tuned.”
Rocha Moya was elected governor in 2021, but his popularity in the northern state dropped after he failed to contain a war between two Sinaloa cartel factions, the sons of former leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
The sons are locked in a battle for the throne of the cartel after one of Guzmán’s sons, Joaquín Guzmán, abducted Zambada and flew him in a private jet to an airport outside El Paso, Texas, where authorities arrested both of them.
Since the war began, thousands of people have been killed or disappeared and Rocha Moya has not been able to contain the violence.
Allegations of ties to criminal groups have swirled around Rocha Moya since he became governor.
The septuagenarian governor has managed to survive sundry political scandals, Mexican observers say, because of a key fact: His longtime friendship with ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the predecessor and mentor of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Rocha Moya is one of a number of top politicians viewed as protected by their associations with López Obrador.
This is a developing story. Fisher is a special correspondent.
MEXICO CITY — The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday indicted Rúben Rocha Moya, the governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, accusing him of trafficking drugs with the infamous Sinaloa cartel.
Nine other current and former Mexican officials also were indicted, according to the department.
The indictment of a sitting governor by U.S. authorities has little precedent in U.S.-Mexico relations and denotes a major escalation by the Trump administration in its efforts to combat criminal syndicates in Mexico.
“The Sinaloa cartel is a ruthless criminal organization that has flooded this community with dangerous drugs for decades,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton in a statement. “As the indictment lays bare, the Sinaloa cartel, and other drug trafficking organizations like it, would not operate as freely or successfully without corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials on their payroll.”
On Sunday the Times reported that U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson had hinted last week that the U.S. would take an aggressive approach toward corruption in Mexico.
Speaking at a ground-breaking ceremony in Sinaloa, Johnson said, “We may soon see significant action on this front. So, stay tuned.”
Rocha Moya was elected governor in 2021, but his popularity in the northern state dropped after he failed to contain a war between two Sinaloa cartel factions, the sons of former leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
The sons are locked in a battle for the throne of the cartel after one of Guzmán’s sons, Joaquín Guzmán, abducted Zambada and flew him in a private jet to an airport outside El Paso, Texas, where authorities arrested both of them.
Since the war began, thousands of people have been killed or disappeared and Rocha Moya has not been able to contain the violence.
Allegations of ties to criminal groups have swirled around Rocha Moya since he became governor.
The septuagenarian governor has managed to survive sundry political scandals, Mexican observers say, because of a key fact: His longtime friendship with ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the predecessor and mentor of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Rocha Moya is one of a number of top politicians viewed as protected by their associations with López Obrador.
This is a developing story. Fisher is a special correspondent.
MEXICO CITY — The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday indicted Rúben Rocha Moya, the governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, accusing him of trafficking drugs with the infamous Sinaloa cartel.
Nine other current and former Mexican officials also were indicted, according to the department.
The indictment of a sitting governor by U.S. authorities has little precedent in U.S.-Mexico relations and denotes a major escalation by the Trump administration in its efforts to combat criminal syndicates in Mexico.
“The Sinaloa cartel is a ruthless criminal organization that has flooded this community with dangerous drugs for decades,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton in a statement. “As the indictment lays bare, the Sinaloa cartel, and other drug trafficking organizations like it, would not operate as freely or successfully without corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials on their payroll.”
On Sunday the Times reported that U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson had hinted last week that the U.S. would take an aggressive approach toward corruption in Mexico.
Speaking at a ground-breaking ceremony in Sinaloa, Johnson said, “We may soon see significant action on this front. So, stay tuned.”
Rocha Moya was elected governor in 2021, but his popularity in the northern state dropped after he failed to contain a war between two Sinaloa cartel factions, the sons of former leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
The sons are locked in a battle for the throne of the cartel after one of Guzmán’s sons, Joaquín Guzmán, abducted Zambada and flew him in a private jet to an airport outside El Paso, Texas, where authorities arrested both of them.
Since the war began, thousands of people have been killed or disappeared and Rocha Moya has not been able to contain the violence.
Allegations of ties to criminal groups have swirled around Rocha Moya since he became governor.
The septuagenarian governor has managed to survive sundry political scandals, Mexican observers say, because of a key fact: His longtime friendship with ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the predecessor and mentor of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Rocha Moya is one of a number of top politicians viewed as protected by their associations with López Obrador.
This is a developing story. Fisher is a special correspondent.
