U.S. prosecutors accused a Mexican governor and nine other current and former Mexican officials of participating in a broad conspiracy to help a powerful Mexican cartel import drugs into the United States in exchange for bribes and votes.<\/p>\n
In an indictment unsealed on Wednesday, Manhattan prosecutors said that the governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, Rub\u00e9n Rocha Moya, had accepted bribes and help getting elected in exchange for protecting his state\u2019s dominant criminal organization, the Sinaloa cartel, which has terrorized his constituents for years.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors alleged that the other current and former Mexican officials \u2014 including a Mexican senator and prominent mayor \u2014 had also taken bribes to shield cartel members from arrest and feed them information.<\/p>\n
In a statement, Mr. Rocha denied the charges as \u201centirely false and without foundation,\u201d and said that they were an effort by the United States to violate Mexico\u2019s sovereignty and attack its leftist political movement, which is led by President Claudia Sheinbaum.<\/p>\n
The indictment is the Trump administration\u2019s most significant step yet in cracking down on the government corruption that it has said is at the heart of Mexico\u2019s cartel problem.<\/p>\n
Mr. Rocha is the highest-ranking member of Mexico\u2019s dominant political party, Morena, to be indicted by the United States. The move could drive a wedge between the U.S. and Mexican governments just as they are deepening cooperation on combating the cartels that have killed thousands of Mexicans and made fortunes by smuggling drugs into the United States.<\/p>\n
Mr. Rocha, 76, is a party ally of Ms. Sheinbaum and her predecessor, former President Andr\u00e9s Manuel L\u00f3pez Obrador. As Mr. Rocha had faced intensifying accusations of corruption in recent months, he had been publicly backed by Morena officials.<\/p>\n
Ms. Sheinbaum has led an aggressive campaign<\/a> against Mexico\u2019s cartels, but it has mostly focused on criminal leaders and operatives<\/a> versus the elected officials they have long been shown to corrupt. She has said that her government is rooting out corruption, including by uncovering major fuel theft and tax fraud<\/a> in the Mexican Navy, but President Trump has said that more must be done.<\/p>\n Mexican officials suspected the United States was preparing indictments against officials in the country after the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Ronald Johnson, gave a fiery speech in Sinaloa last week about corruption in the state, which seemed aimed at Mr. Rocha, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke anonymously to describe private conversations.<\/p>\n Trade between Mexico and the United States \u201crequires our governments to criminalize bribery and corruption and enforce codes of conduct for public officials,\u201d said Mr. Johnson, speaking at the opening of a factory in Sinaloa.<\/p>\n \u201cWe may soon see significant action on this front,\u201d the ambassador added. \u201cSo, stay tuned.\u201d<\/p>\n After the speech, Mexican officials asked their American counterparts to warn them about any indictments they were preparing against sitting government officials so that they could manage the fallout nationally and within Morena, Ms. Sheinbaum\u2019s party, according to these people.<\/p>\n On Tuesday evening, Mexican officials received an extradition request from the U.S. government for \u201cvarious individuals,\u201d the Mexican government said in a statement on Wednesday. The request \u201cdid not contain sufficient evidence to establish the responsibility of the individuals\u201d targeted for extradition, the Mexican government said, adding that its attorney general\u2019s office was evaluating the request. Ms. Sheinbaum did not comment on the indictment on Wednesday.<\/p>\n The indictment of sitting government officials within her own party could create a predicament for Ms. Sheinbaum. She has sought to maintain a good relationship with Mr. Trump while standing firm in protecting Mexico\u2019s sovereignty. She also faces the political realities of managing her sprawling party, which includes many officials deeply skeptical of Mr. Trump and some who are worried they could also be in the cross hairs of the U.S. justice system.<\/p>\n Updated\u00a0<\/p>\n April 29, 2026, 7:28 p.m. ET<\/p>\n Mr. Johnson, the U.S. ambassador, said in a statement on Wednesday that both the United States and Mexico wanted to fight corruption. \u201cThe United States will continue to work with Mexico\u2019s leadership to advance accountability, strengthen institutions and promote security,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n