In an indictment unsealed Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice charged several former and current government and law enforcement officials in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, including the sitting governor, with drug trafficking.
The defendants are accused of conspiring with the Sinaloa cartel to import narcotics into the United States. U.S. prosecutors say they shielded members of the cartel from “investigation, arrest and prosecution” in exchange for bribes and political support.
One of the defendants is the current governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya, who is charged with drug trafficking and weapons offenses that carry a possible penalty of life in prison.
In a post on social media, Rocha said he “categorically and absolutely” rejects the accusations levied against him by the United States.
The nine other defendants listed in the indictment unsealed in the Southern District of New York include a sitting Mexican senator who was once the secretary general of the state of Sinaloa and the current mayor of the state capital of Culiacán.
Nine of the 10 defendants are charged with the same narcotics trafficking and weapons offenses, which carry a minimum penalty of 40 years in prison. The 10th, a former Culiacán police commander, is accused of additional kidnapping crimes.
The Department of Justice accuses the defendants of collectively receiving millions of dollars in bribes in return for helping Sinaloa cartel leaders.
“This indictment exposes a deliberate effort to undermine public institutions and put American lives at risk,” DEA Administrator Terrance Cole said in a DOJ statement. “The defendants allegedly used positions of trust to protect cartel operations, enabling a pipeline of deadly drugs into our country.”
The charges represent a significant step by U.S. authorities against alleged criminal conspiracies to aid cartels among high-ranking Mexican elected and law enforcement officials. The Trump administration has held up cracking down on drug cartels as an important political priority. Early last year, it designated several Mexico-based cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson said in a statement after the indictment was unsealed that U.S. and Mexican authorities will continue to work “in close communication.”
“Corruption that enables organized crime and harms both our countries will be investigated and prosecuted wherever U.S. jurisdiction applies,” Johnson said.
Mexico’s foreign ministry said in a statement after the unsealing of the indictment that it has received an extradition request from the United States government.
The ministry says the documents it received from the United States embassy “do not contain sufficient evidence to establish the responsibility of the individuals” targeted by the extradition request, but that Mexico’s attorney general’s office will determine whether there is enough evidence to arrest and extradite them.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to correct the number of defendants charged with narcotics trafficking and weapons offense.
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