Ruben Rocha Moya, former governor of Sinaloa, was accused by the United States government of serious drug crimes.
The US Department of Justice brought charges against Ruben Rocha Moya and nine other people. They claim these individuals worked secretly with the dangerous Sinaloa Cartel to smuggle drugs into America.
This case is a major event because it is the first time the US government has publicly charged a working Mexican politician with drug crimes.
Recently, many reports claimed that Mexican security forces had secretly moved the former governor to a safe house. The stories suggested the move was done to stop him from being arrested by American agents. However, there is no evidence that anyone was actually making any arrest plans.
The 77-year-old politician used social media to respond to these rumours and clear his name. He told the public that he is still staying at his home in Culiacan. He also explained that federal police are not guarding him or watching his house.
The former governor says he is innocent. He claims that news companies are attacking him unfairly and that his political enemies are trying to ruin his reputation.
Even though he took a break from his job as governor back in May, he has not formally quit. Ruben Rocha Moya belongs to a left-wing political party called Morena. This is the same party as the current leader of the country, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
The previous president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, started the party and is a close friend and mentor to the current leader.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has supported the former governor. She confirmed to the public that he is still at home and has no special police protection.
However, she also said that Mexico will not take action against him unless the US government shares clear and undeniable proof of his crimes.
The US government sees the Sinaloa Cartel as a major threat. In fact, US President Donald Trump has labelled it as one of six Mexican drug gangs that are officially classed as foreign terrorist groups.
Earlier this week, Mexico started an investigation into how US agents captured Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada back in 2024. He was one of the original founders of the Sinaloa Cartel.
The Mexican government wants to find out if the US broke international rules and disrespected Mexican territory during that arrest.
