Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha Moya temporarily stepped down from his position after being charged by the U.S. Justice Department with conspiring with the Sinaloa cartel to distribute narcotics to the United States. Rocha Moya said he was stepping aside to facilitate investigations.

The indictment named Rocha Moya and nine other officials, accusing them of working with the Sinaloa cartel to distribute narcotics to the United States. Rocha Moya faces federal charges including narcotics importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and a second conspiracy count. If convicted, he could face life in prison or a mandatory minimum of 40 years behind bars.

Juan de Dios Gámez Mendívil, the mayor of Culiacan, also announced he would step down after being named in the indictment. He has denied the allegations. The two indicted officials no longer enjoy immunity and can be subject to investigation.

Rocha Moya has served as governor of Sinaloa since 2021 and is a member of Morena, a left-leaning party. He is close to former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. At least three officials charged in the indictment were affiliated with Morena. In 2023, a Sinaloa cartel capo wrote a letter that included Rocha Moya's name and said he believed he was on his way to meet with Rocha Moya when he was kidnapped. The capo was handed over to U.S. law enforcement.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government had not been provided with any concrete evidence to back up the claims in the indictment, and said Mexico will extradite officials to the United States only if provided with irrefutable evidence of cartel links. She said it was the first time the United States had made narcotrafficking charges public against a sitting governor or other high-ranking official.

"My position on these events is as follows: truth, justice and the defence of sovereignty," Sheinbaum said. "However, if there is no clear evidence, it is evident that the aim of these charges by the US Department of Justice is political."

The Sinaloa cartel is one of six Mexican narcotrafficking groups designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the Trump administration. Since taking office in January 2025, the administration has imposed tariffs on Mexico as leverage to address migration and drug smuggling. Sheinbaum has opposed any U.S. military action on Mexican soil while seeking to increase cooperation in countering cartels.

Vanda Felbab-Brown, an expert on non-state armed groups at the Brookings Institution, said the approach of charging elected officials had long been considered a very big step, almost a "nuclear option." She predicted that more U.S. indictments were likely to come.