Former Sinaloa Security Chief Appears in US Court on Cartel Bribery Charges

The former Secretary of Public Security for Mexico’s Sinaloa state appeared in a US court on Friday, days after his arrest in Arizona on charges he and other officials took bribes to help the Sinaloa Cartel smuggle vast quantities of drugs into the US.

Gerardo Mérida Sánchez, 66, was not required to enter a plea during his initial appearance in federal court in Manhattan. He was ordered jailed but could request bail at a later date. He is due back in court on June 1. A message seeking comment was left for his lawyer.

Mérida Sánchez is one of 10 current or former Sinaloa government or law enforcement officials charged by the US last month and the first to appear in court. He is charged with narcotics importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. He faces 40 years to life in prison if convicted.

Other defendants include Governor Rubén Rocha Moya and Mayor Juan de Dios Gámez Mendívil of the Sinaloa state capital of Culiacán, both of whom said they were taking temporary leaves of absence to deal with the charges. They have yet to be apprehended.

Mexico’s Security Cabinet stated on social media that Mérida Sánchez entered the US from Hermosillo, Sonora, on Monday, and was taken into custody by the US Marshals Service at the Nogales border crossing into Arizona. He appeared in court in Arizona before being moved to New York, court records show.

Mérida Sánchez was Secretary of Public Security, an appointed cabinet-level position in Moya’s Sinaloa government, from September 2023 until his resignation in December 2024. He was responsible for overseeing the Sinaloa State Police and appointing its director.