Mexico: President Sheinbaum disavows the governor of Sinaloa who is under investigation in the United States

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called the swift return of Sinaloa's governor to his post "reckless" and "inappropriate," given that Ruben Rocha Moya is facing indictment in the United States on drug trafficking charges. He has again requested an indefinite leave of absence, just days after resuming his duties.

Ruben Rocha Moya, 77, governor of the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa, lasted only one day in office before requesting another indefinite leave of absence. His return, announced Friday on the X network with the declaration that he was resuming power "with a clear conscience" and "his head held high," has provoked a wave of criticism even within his own political party.

Claudia Sheinbaum was direct during her daily press conference Monday morning: “I was not informed beforehand that he wished to return. I don’t know what led the governor, who is once again on leave, to resume his duties. I have not spoken to him and I have no intention of doing so.” The day before, without naming him, the president had written that “no personal interest can ever take precedence over the interests of the people and the nation.”

The Morena party, to which both Sheinbaum and Rocha belong, was quick to clarify that its national leadership had no prior knowledge of the governor's return, describing the decision as "personal." The party's Senate bloc called for restraint, while the Morena governors issued a joint statement asserting that "personal or group political projects have no place" when the country's interests are at stake.

Rocha is the first sitting governor in Mexico to face drug trafficking charges brought by the United States. On April 29, U.S. federal prosecutors indicted him for corruption and collusion with a faction of the Sinaloa cartel, the Chapitos, in exchange for support for his political career. According to the indictment, cartel members allegedly kidnapped opposition candidates, threatened them, and stole ballots during the 2021 election campaign to ensure his victory. The indictment also targeted nine other Mexican officials and businessmen, including a senator representing Sinaloa, the state's secretary of public security, the mayor of Culiacán, and several high-ranking police officers.

Rocha denies any involvement and presents the charges as a politically motivated attack. He had taken a three-month leave of absence to cooperate with the Mexican investigation without the constitutional immunity associated with his position, but Mexican legal experts are still debating the actual impact of this leave on his legal protection.

The case has reignited diplomatic tensions between Mexico City and Washington. Sheinbaum rejected the American request for the arrest and extradition of those implicated, citing insufficient evidence and insisting that any prosecution must take place in Mexico. Since his return to the White House in 2025, Donald Trump has designated the Sinaloa cartel as a "foreign terrorist organization" and threatened military action against Mexican cartels, which he accuses of orchestrating much of the violence in the Western Hemisphere.

The Sinaloa state congress is expected to appoint an interim governor later this week. The region has been experiencing intense violence for the past two years due to clashes between rival factions within the local cartel.