MEXICO CITY – Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya has reversed his decision to return to his post, bowing to an extraordinary backlash from his own ruling Morena party. The move comes after U.S. prosecutors accused him of conspiring with a powerful cartel to smuggle drugs into the United States.
State lawmakers are expected to approve Gov. Rocha Moya’s request for an indefinite leave of absence on Sunday. This follows his announcement on Friday that he was returning to office, claiming that Mexican prosecutors had cleared him of the drug trafficking charges leveled by the U.S. Department of Justice in late April.
Rocha Moya’s defiance, where he declared himself back “as governor of Sinaloa with my head held high,” lasted barely a day. His return unleashed a torrent of criticism from governors, senators, and other prominent figures within Morena, including Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
President Sheinbaum, without directly naming Rocha Moya, issued a clear rebuke on Saturday, stating, “No personal interest can ever come before the interests of the people and the nation. Mexico deserves public servants who understand that positions are temporary, but responsibility to the nation is eternal.”
The rapid reversal highlights President Sheinbaum’s authority over her Morena party. She navigates a delicate balance between placating U.S. President Donald Trump, who asserts cartels control Mexico and has offered U.S. military assistance, and her progressive movement, which remains deeply wary of U.S. intervention.
Morena’s national leadership distanced itself from Rocha Moya’s initial return, calling it his “personal decision” and stating they had no prior knowledge. The party’s Senate bloc urged respect for the ongoing investigation, while Morena governors issued a joint statement declaring that “personal or group political projects have no place” when the country’s interests are at stake.
Ricardo Monreal, Morena’s leader in the lower house of Congress and a longtime ally of Rocha Moya, publicly urged the governor to reconsider and remain on leave. This coordinated response left Rocha Moya isolated, leading him to announce later Saturday that he had asked the state legislature to allow him to step aside indefinitely. “Sinaloa, the nation and the transformation movement come first,” he wrote.
Rocha Moya had been on leave since early May, days after federal prosecutors in New York unsealed a bombshell indictment. The indictment accused him and nine other current and former Mexican officials of protecting Sinaloa cartel members in exchange for bribes, facilitating the trafficking of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine into the U.S.
This indictment marked the Trump administration’s most significant public action against what it terms official corruption enabling Mexico’s cartels, escalating tensions between the U.S. and Mexican governments. While Sheinbaum has denied shielding Rocha Moya, she has rejected Washington’s request to arrest and extradite the defendants without credible evidence, insisting that any prosecution take place in Mexico.
Following the indictment, the mayor of Culiacán, Sinaloa’s capital, and the state’s deputy attorney general also resigned from their positions. Additionally, two former senior state officials surrendered to U.S. authorities. Sinaloa has been embroiled in a bloody conflict between rival factions of the cartel bearing its name for nearly two years.
