Federal prosecutors in New York unsealed an indictment Wednesday charging the sitting governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa and nine other current and former officials with drug trafficking and weapons offenses.
Prosecutors allege they took millions in cartel bribes in exchange for protecting one of the world's most violent criminal organizations.
All 10 defendants are believed to live in Mexico.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton and Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terrance C. Cole announced the charges, which allege the defendants conspired with the "Chapitos"—the sons of imprisoned Sinaloa cartel kingpin Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán—to flood the United States with fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine.
"The Sinaloa Cartel is a ruthless criminal organization that has flooded this community with dangerous drugs for decades," Clayton said. "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."
DEA Administrator Cole called the Sinaloa cartel "a designated terrorist organization that relies on corruption and bribery to drive violence and profit," adding that the indictment "exposes a deliberate effort to undermine public institutions and put American lives at risk.”
According to the indictment, Rocha Moya allegedly met with Chapitos leaders both before and after taking office in November 2021—an election the cartel purportedly helped him win by kidnapping and intimidating political rivals. In exchange, prosecutors allege, Rocha Moya allowed the Chapitos to operate with impunity across the state.
Other defendants are accused of running protection schemes at every level of law enforcement. Damaso Castro Zaavedra, the deputy attorney general for the Sinaloa State Attorney General's Office, allegedly received approximately $11,000 per month from the Chapitos and, in return, shielded cartel members from arrest and tipped them off to U.S.-backed law enforcement operations.
The most serious charges fall on Juan Valenzuela Millán, 35, a former high-level commander in the Culiacan Municipal Police, who faces a mandatory life sentence. Prosecutors allege Millán received more than $1,600 per month and gave the Chapitos unrestricted access to the city's police force. In October 2023, he allegedly helped the cartel kidnap a DEA confidential source and the source's relative, both of whom were then tortured and killed.
All 10 defendants face a mandatory minimum of 40 years in prison on narcotics and weapons charges, with a maximum of life in prison. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla.
Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged receiving the U.S. extradition requests on April 28 at 6 p.m. and said it forwarded the documents to the country's Attorney General's Office for evaluation.
Rocha Moya took to X on Wednesday to deny the allegations, calling the charges baseless and politically motivated.