Current and former high-ranking Mexican government and law enforcement officials were charged Wednesday in New York with allegedly conspiring with the Sinaloa cartel to distribute “massive” quantities of illicit drugs inside the United States in exchange for bribe payments and political support.
Among the defendants is the current governor of Sinaloa, Ruben Rocha Moya. Neither he nor his codefendants are in U.S. custody.
Moya released a statement on Wednesday, saying, "I categorically and unequivocally reject the allegations brought against me by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, as they are entirely unfounded and lack any basis in truth."
US is engaged in formal 'armed conflict' with 'terrorist' drug cartels, Trump says"We will prove the baselessness of this slander," Moya added, calling the indictment a "perverse strategy aimed at undermining the constitutional order."
He and nine others are accused of playing central roles in a violent and corrupt drug trafficking conspiracy that federal prosecutors said brought fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine from Mexico into the United States, including shielding cartel leaders from investigation, passing sensitive military information to cartel leaders and providing protection for traffickers.
In exchange, the defendants have collectively received millions of dollars in drug money from the faction of the cartel run by the Chapitos, the sons of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, according to the indictment.
The indictment said another defendant, Juan Valenzuela Millan, a high-level commander in the Culiacan Municipal Police, received more than $1,600 every month from the Chapitos in exchange for using the Culiacan Municipal Police to carry out arrests, kidnappings and murders.
In October 2023, Millan allegedly helped the Chapitos kidnap a DEA confidential source and the source’s relative, who was then tortured and killed.
“The Sinaloa Cartel is a ruthless criminal organization that has flooded this community with dangerous drugs for decades,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “As the indictment lays bare, the Sinaloa Cartel, and other drug trafficking organizations like it, would not operate as freely or successfully without corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials on their payroll. The support of corrupt foreign officials for deadly trafficking of drugs must end.
2 US Embassy staffers killed in Mexico car accident were working for CIA: US officialMexican Special Prosecutor for the Investigation of Relevant Matters, Ulises Lara, said during a press conference on Wednesday that Mexico will open its own investigation into the allegations.
Lara said authorities will review the evidence to determine whether it meets legal standards and whether the requests are viable under Mexican law.
Mexican law requires evidence indicating probable commission of a crime before any arrest warrant can be issued, according to Lara.
Lara said that if public officials are involved, a formal process is required to lift legal immunity before proceeding.
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ron Johnson released a statement on Wednesday saying, "Combating corruption and transnational criminal activity is a shared priority for the United States and Mexico. Our countries have pledged to strengthen transparency, enforce anti-corruption laws, and uphold the rule of law."
"While we cannot comment on the individual facts of these indictments, and the legal process will need to play out, one thing is certain: corruption that enables organized crime and harms both our countries will be investigated and prosecuted wherever U.S. jurisdiction applies," Johnson added.
