Mexico’s Sinaloa Governor Steps Down as He Faces US Drug Trafficking Charges

Mexico is seeking additional information before it agrees to arrest and extradite the Sinaloa governor and nine other indicted Mexican nationals.

Rubén Rocha Moya, Sinaloa governor, attends the inauguration of the Santa Fe bridge, in Culiacán, Mexico, on July 17, 2025. David Gaspar/Reuters

The governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa has announced a leave of absence as he faces a federal indictment in the United States on allegations of aiding the Sinaloa cartel terrorist group.

On April 29, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced that it had obtained an indictment against Sinaloa Gov. Rubén Rocha Moya and nine other current and former Mexican officials for alleged drug trafficking and weapons offenses.