Sinaloa governor facing US drug charges seeks leave

Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha Moya, who is wanted by the United States on drug trafficking charges, announced on Saturday that he was stepping down again, one day after returning to office.

Rocha Moya shared a document on X asking the Sinaloa state congress to authorize “a temporary leave of absence of indefinite duration, exceeding 30 days.”

He had said on Friday on the same platform that he was resuming leadership of the Mexican state, a role he stepped away from in May to face an investigation by Mexican prosecutors.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum criticised the return without naming Rocha Moya directly, writing on X that “no personal interest can ever be placed above the interests of the people” and of Mexico. She also wrote: “Power without principles becomes arrogance; power without limits, abuse.”

Asked by journalists about Rocha Moya, Sheinbaum referred them to her post and said she learned of his return through his tweet.

The US Justice Department charged Rocha Moya and nine other officials of the ruling Morena party in April and demanded their extraditions for allegedly colluding with the Sinaloa Cartel to distribute drugs inside the United States.

Rocha Moya said on Friday that he had “committed no crime” and was returning to office “with a clear conscience and head held high.”

The 77-year-old governor is an ally of Sheinbaum and is close to former president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.