The Donald Trump administration is not playing around when it comes to cartel activity in Mexico, even if Mexican officials aren't exactly willing to play ball.
On Wednesday, a federal grand jury in the Southern District of New York unsealed a 34-page indictment charging Rubén Rocha Moya and nine other current or former high-ranking Mexican officials with drug trafficking and weapons offenses. The defendants are accused of partnering with the "Los Chapitos" faction of the Sinaloa Cartel (the sons of El Chapo) to help smuggle massive quantities of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine into the U.S.
Rocha Moya is the current governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, which the Department of Justice calls the "geographic epicenter of the global narcotics trade." He's also a member of former Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador and current president Claudia Sheinbaum's Morena Party. Others charged include the mayor of Culiacan, a sitting senator, and the deputy attorney general for the Sinaloa State Attorney General’s Office.
The men indicted allegedly took millions in bribes, gave the cartel protection from prosecution, leaked intel on law-enforcement ops, and provided state resources, like police cars and radios. One of them, Juan Valenzuela Millan (or "Juanito"), a former high-level Culiacán Municipal Police commander, was also charged with the kidnappings of a DEA source and the source’s relative that resulted in their deaths, allegedly after they were handed over to the cartel.
They all face life sentences with a mandatory minimum of 40 years, except for Mr. "Juanito," who faces a mandatory life sentence.
"The Sinaloa Cartel is a ruthless criminal organization that has flooded this community with dangerous drugs for decades," said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. "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. The support of corrupt foreign officials for deadly trafficking of drugs must end. Let these charges send a clear message to all officials around the globe who work with narco-traffickers: no matter your title or position, we are committed to bringing you to justice."
Rocha Moya responded with a statement of his own on X (translated from Spanish):
I categorically and absolutely reject the accusations made against me by the Southern District of New York Federal Prosecutor's Office, as they lack any truth or foundation whatsoever. And this will be demonstrated, with full force, at the appropriate time.
This attack is not solely against my person; but against the movement of the Fourth Transformation, its emblematic leaderships, and the Mexican women and men who represent that cause.
It is part of a perverse strategy to violate the constitutional order, specifically the national sovereignty advocated by Article 40 of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States, which our movement defends as an invariable and non-negotiable principle.
To the people of Sinaloa, I say that, with the courage and dignity that characterize us, we will demonstrate the lack of foundation for this slander.
Big Nicolás Maduro vibes there, and we all know how that ended.
All of this comes after last week the U.S. Treasury "sanctioned 23 individuals and entities that comprise a sophisticated synthetic opioid procurement network with ties to the Sinaloa Cartel," and the State Department imposed "visa restrictions on 75 individuals who are family members or close personal or business associates of persons linked to the Sinaloa Cartel."
Related: Rubio and Bessent Go After Sinaloa and Its Fentanyl Pipeline
This appears to be the first time the DOJ has indicted a sitting Mexican governor. The Mexican Foreign Ministry confirmed that U.S. officials have requested the extradition of the individuals indicted to the United States, but that there is enough evidence. It added, "However, as is standard procedure in these cases, the Attorney General’s Office will determine whether there is sufficient evidence under Mexican law and the viability of the requests for provisional arrest for extradition."
Editor's Note: President Trump is leading America into the "Golden Age" as Democrats try desperately to stop it. We can't let that happen.
Help us continue to report on President Trump's successes. Join PJ Media VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member