Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya, who is wanted by the US for conspiracy to smuggle drugs, announced he is seeking a temporary but indefinite leave of absence just days after his contested return to office. In a post on X, Rocha said he had requested state congress authorization for a "temporary leave of absence of indefinite duration, exceeding 30 days," adding that "Sinaloa, the nation, and the movement of transformation are above everything."
The 77-year-old politician had announced his return to the governorship one day earlier, ending a leave he began in May to face investigation by Mexican prosecutors. Rocha had stepped back from his position months after US prosecutors alleged in April that he and nine other current or former Morena Party officials conspired with a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel to traffic drugs into the US in exchange for bribes and political support. It marked the first time the US publicly charged a sitting Mexican politician.
Rocha has consistently denied the charges and suggested they were meant to harm the left-leaning Morena Party. His brief return to office drew swift criticism from President Claudia Sheinbaum, who said "no personal interest can ever be placed above the interest of the people and the nation." She added that "power without principles becomes arrogance; power without limits, abuse; and power that forgets the people ends up confronting history," and that Mexico deserved public servants not motivated by "personal ambitions."
