"I am still in my home in Culiacan city, I have not moved anywhere. Federal agents are not protecting or monitoring me," Sinaloa governor Ruben Rocha Moya posted on social media on 9/7.
Recent speculation suggested that Mexican federal security forces had moved Moya to a location to avoid arrest in a U.S. "operation". There is currently no specific information regarding the possibility of such a U.S. operation.
Former governor Moya stated he is a victim of a "media attack" and an "attack instigated by the far-right."
In April, the U.S. Justice Department brought charges against Moya and nine others for conspiring with the notorious Sinaloa cartel to distribute drugs into U.S. territory. This marks the first time the U.S. has publicly charged a sitting Mexican politician.
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Ruben Rocha Moya in Mexico City in 2023. Photo: Reuters |
Ruben Rocha Moya in Mexico City in 2023. Photo: Reuters
Moya, 77, subsequently requested a leave of absence from his duties as Sinaloa governor in May but has not officially resigned. He is a member of the left-wing Morena party, led by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
President Sheinbaum previously stated that Moya remains at home without the need for federal security protection. She demanded "irrefutable" evidence from the U.S. if they wanted Mexico to take action against Moya. Mexico is also investigating a potential U.S. sovereignty violation in the 2024 arrest of drug lord "El Mayo."
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that drug cartels control Mexico and warned he would deploy ground forces into the neighboring country if his counterpart, Sheinbaum, did not crack down on crime. Sheinbaum has downplayed these threats, emphasizing that the Mexican military continues to use U.S.-provided intelligence to track down drug lords.
The Sinaloa cartel is one of six Mexican drug cartels designated by President Trump as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. Over the past 30 years, the Sinaloa cartel has generated billions of USD in profits by moving drugs into the U.S. It is the oldest criminal organization in Mexico and one of the world's most brutal and powerful drug cartels.
Ngoc Anh (AFP, Reuters)
