US Charges Sinaloa Officials, Mexico Governor in Cartel Corruption Case
U.S. prosecutors have unsealed an indictment charging 10 current and former high-ranking officials in Mexico's Sinaloa state, including Governor Ruben Rocha Moya, with conspiring alongside the Sinaloa Cartel to traffic large quantities of narcotics into the United States in exchange for bribes and political support, authorities announced Wednesday.
The charges, brought by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York and the Drug Enforcement Administration, allege the defendants used their government and law enforcement positions to shield cartel operations, share sensitive information, and facilitate drug shipments. One defendant is also accused of participating in kidnappings that resulted in the deaths of a DEA source and a relative, according to the indictment.
Prosecutors Say Officials Used Public Office to Shield Cartel
The indictment states that the defendants used their government positions to tip off cartel members about planned operations, direct police to guard drug loads, and interfere with investigations. In exchange, they allegedly received millions of dollars in cartel payments. One official, Sinaloa Deputy Attorney General Dámaso Castro Zaavedra, is accused of receiving roughly $11,000 per month from the Chapitos to protect their network.
Prosecutors also allege that cartel influence extended into electoral politics. Rocha Moya, they say, won the governorship after the Chapitos helped intimidate rivals. After taking office, he allegedly continued to meet with cartel leaders and assured them of protection.
One defendant, former Culiacán police commander Juan Valenzuela Millán, faces additional charges tied to the kidnapping and killing of a DEA confidential source and the source's relative in 2023. Prosecutors say Millán provided cartel members with access to municipal police resources and helped facilitate the abduction, which ended in both victims' deaths.
U.S. Officials Call Case a Major Strike Against Cartel Corruption
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said the indictment exposes how cartel operations rely on corrupt foreign officials to function. DEA Administrator Terrance Cole described the Sinaloa Cartel as a "designated terrorist organization" that uses bribery and violence to maintain its drug pipeline into the United States.
The case is the latest in a series of federal actions targeting the cartel's leadership and support networks. More than 30 cartel members and associates have been charged in the Southern District of New York since 2023.
Each defendant is charged with narcotics‑importation conspiracy and weapons offenses involving machine guns and destructive devices. Several face mandatory minimum sentences of 40 years, while Millán faces a mandatory life sentence due to the kidnapping resulting in death charges. All defendants are believed to be in Mexico.
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This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 12:28 PM.