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Mexico’s Sinaloa governor, Ruben Rocha Moya, has returned to office after a 112-day absence while facing United States (US) drug trafficking allegations.
Rocha Moya, who is wanted by the United States, said on Friday that he had committed no crime and was returning with a “clear conscience and head held high.”
The US Justice Department charged Rocha Moya and nine other ruling-party politicians in April over alleged links to the Sinaloa Cartel and demanded their extradition.
The charges marked the first time the US had publicly indicted a sitting Mexican politician.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has demanded “irrefutable” evidence from the US before taking action against Rocha Moya, who is a close ally of former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
The 77-year-old governor stepped aside on May 1 to cooperate with a Mexican investigation into the allegations.
On Friday, however, he announced his return to one of Mexico’s most prominent political offices, setting the stage for possible tension between Mexico City and Washington.
In a post on X, Rocha said that after 112 days of investigation, Mexican authorities had found no evidence linking him to criminal activity.
“After 112 days of investigation, as the attorney general’s office itself has already reported… there is not a shred of evidence to substantiate our involvement in any criminal conduct — in other words, I have committed no crime,” he said.
Rocha was questioned by Mexican prosecutors in late May but has consistently denied the allegations.
The governor was born in Badiraguato, the Sinaloa town that was also the hometown of jailed drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
US prosecutors have accused Rocha of receiving support from El Chapo’s sons to win the governorship in 2021.
Former Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada also named Rocha when describing the events surrounding his capture in the US in July 2024.
Zambada alleged that he had been lured to a meeting linked to Rocha before being kidnapped and taken to the United States.
Rocha has denied the allegation.
On Thursday, the governor accused the “national and foreign ultra right” of targeting the political left.
“I am completely uninvolved and innocent of the lies that have been concocted against me,” he said.
The case has created a difficult political situation for Sheinbaum, who is under pressure from US President Donald Trump to intensify Mexico’s fight against drug trafficking.
David Mora, an analyst with the Crisis Group, described the case as the “most difficult” issue of Sheinbaum’s administration because of Rocha’s close ties to Lopez Obrador.
“She is being forced to choose between her party and Trump,” Mora said, warning that both options could carry serious political costs.
Sheinbaum has tried to avoid confrontation with Trump while also defending Mexico’s sovereignty.
Last month, she announced an investigation into whether the US violated international law and Mexico’s constitution by taking Zambada out of the country to face trial.
Rocha’s return is therefore likely to increase pressure on Sheinbaum as Mexico and the United States continue to negotiate over drug trafficking, security and trade.
