Mexican governor and mayor step down after U.S. drug trafficking indictments
Summary
Two top officials in Mexico’s Sinaloa state, Governor Rubén Rocha Moya and Culiacán Mayor Juan de Dios Gámez Mendívil, have temporarily stepped down after the U.S. charged them with drug trafficking related to the Sinaloa cartel. Both deny the accusations and will cooperate with investigations in Mexico, which insists it will handle any criminal cases involving them.Key Facts
- Governor Rubén Rocha Moya and Mayor Juan de Dios Gámez Mendívil are accused by the U.S. of protecting the Sinaloa cartel and helping smuggle drugs into the U.S.
- Both officials denied the charges and said they will take temporary leaves to defend themselves.
- Yeraldine Bonilla Valverde was appointed interim governor of Sinaloa by the state congress.
- Rocha and Gámez Mendívil have legal immunity from prosecution unless impeached by Mexico’s Congress.
- Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said anyone proven guilty will be tried in Mexico, not the U.S.
- The Mexican attorney general’s office will not arrest the accused pending investigations.
- Rocha is a longtime ally of former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and criticizes the indictment as a political attack.
- This case highlights tensions between U.S. efforts against drug cartels and Mexico’s sovereignty.
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