
Mexico won’t extradite Sinaloa governor to US without evidence of his guilt — president
Claudia Sheinbaum stressed that Mexico did not intend to cover for anyone but rather built relations with all countries based on equality

Claudia Sheinbaum stressed that Mexico did not intend to cover for anyone but rather built relations with all countries based on equality

The indictment is a significant escalation of US anti-cartel action that is likely to increase tensions between the United States and Mexico.

US prosecutors have indicted Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya, a member of President Claudia Sheinbaum's MORENA party, accusing him of conspiring with the Sinaloa Cartel to import massive quantities of narcotics into the United States. The indictment, released in New York on Wednesday, also charges nine other current and former Mexican officials including a senator, mayor and high-ranking policeman. Rocha is accused of protecting the Los Chapitos faction of the cartel. The Mexican government says the US request lacks sufficient evidence.

A US federal indictment unsealed in New York charged Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya and nine other current and former Mexican officials with drug trafficking and weapons offenses, accusing them of aiding the Sinaloa Cartel in smuggling fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine into the United States. The charges, tied to the Los Chapitos faction, have created a political dilemma for President Claudia Sheinbaum as she balances US pressure with political consequences ahead of Mexico's midterm elections.