Washington, D.C., April 30, 2026 Sinaloa governor charged in US drug cartel indictment The US Justice Department has indicted Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya and nine others, alleging they conspired with the Sinaloa Cartel to traffic narcotics into the United States in exchange for political support and bribes.
Indictment Details
The indictment alleges that Governor Rocha Moya and his co-defendants worked directly with cartel leaders to facilitate the movement of large quantities of drugs across the US border. According to US prosecutors, the scheme involved not only drug trafficking but also electoral interference. Cartel operatives reportedly kidnapped and threatened opposition candidates, while also stealing ballot papers to secure Rocha Moya’s victory in the 2021 election.
Enrique Díaz Vega, one of the defendants, is accused of providing the cartel with a list of political opponents’ names and addresses, enabling intimidation tactics to force them out of the race. The US Justice Department noted that many of the suspects were aligned with the sons of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, the imprisoned co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Cartel’s Role in Political Corruption
The Sinaloa Cartel, designated as a terrorist organization by US authorities, has long relied on corruption and violence to maintain its operations. Terrance Cole, administrator of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), stated: "The Sinaloa Cartel is not just trafficking deadly drugs, it is a designated terrorist organization that relies on corruption and bribery to drive violence and profit."