The U.S. Department of Justice indictment of Sinaloa Gov. Rubén Rocha Moya, unsealed in late April in a New York federal court, was historic by any measure. No American administration had ever charged a sitting Mexican governor before. But for many close observers of Mexican politics, the more unsettling question isn’t what happens to Rocha Moya — it’s who comes next.
The charges accuse Rocha Moya of conspiring with the sons of jailed Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán — a faction known as Los Chapitos — to move narcotics into the United States in exchange for political support. According to prosecutors, cartel operatives kidnapped opposition candidates and stole ballots during the 2021 Sinaloa governor’s race to help him win. The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York called it a “deliberate effort to undermine public institutions.”
Rocha Moya stepped down from his post following the charges and has denied them, calling the indictment politically motivated and an attack on Mexico’s sovereignty.
A List Nobody Is Surprised By
Veteran journalist Carlos Loret de Mola reports that sources in high-level government circles on both sides of the border point to two more Morena officials as likely targets of formal U.S. legal proceedings. Neither name, he notes, comes as a surprise to anyone who follows Mexican politics.
The first is Marina del Pilar Ávila, the Morena governor of Baja California. Her U.S. tourist visa was revoked roughly a year ago, along with that of her then-husband, Carlos Torres, who is now under federal investigation in Mexico for alleged ties to organized crime, including weapons and drug trafficking and money laundering. Ávila has said the visa cancellation was an administrative matter and that she has a clear conscience. She and Torres have since divorced.
The second is Américo Villarreal, the Morena governor of Tamaulipas, a state with a long and well-documented history of cartel infiltration. Villarreal’s name has surfaced repeatedly in connection with huachicol — the large-scale theft and black-market sale of fuel, mostly siphoned from Pemex pipelines — as well as broader allegations of collusion with organized crime. According to Loret de Mola, a former Tamaulipas mayor publicly stated that Villarreal was involved. The governor has not been charged and has denied wrongdoing.
A CIA Grievance, a Broken Bargain
The column’s sharpest passage concerns the CIA. Loret de Mola writes that the agency is furious over what it sees as a double standard from President Claudia Sheinbaum. When U.S. agents working alongside a Chihuahua state government operation to dismantle a major narco laboratory were killed, Sheinbaum’s government launched legal and political attacks on the CIA, its operatives, and the opposition-led state that had hosted them. Meanwhile, when Rocha Moya — a Morena ally — was formally charged by U.S. prosecutors, Sheinbaum’s administration defended him and demanded “irrefutable proof” before any extradition process could begin.
The CIA, Loret de Mola claims, is now taking note of which politicians and media figures are lining up to defend Rocha Moya.
The column carries weight in part because of who wrote it. Loret de Mola is among Mexico’s best-known journalists — born in Mérida, grandson of a former Yucatán governor, and son of a prominent political writer. He spent nearly two decades as anchor of Televisa’s flagship morning newscast before leaving in 2019 to pursue independent work. He co-founded the digital platform Latinus, writes a widely read column for El Universal, and contributes to The Washington Post. He has reported from conflict zones including Afghanistan, Syria, and Libya, and won Mexico’s National Journalism Prize. For years, his primary focus has been the ties between Mexico’s political class and organized crime — a beat that has made him a target of the ruling party and one of the most closely watched voices in Mexican media.
Sheinbaum’s Impossible Position
It is a genuinely difficult spot for the president. Rocha Moya is a longtime Morena figure with close ties to former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who is Sheinbaum’s political mentor. All three belong to the same party, which controls 22 of Mexico’s 31 governorships and both chambers of the national legislature.
Acting against Rocha Moya risks fracturing the coalition. Not acting deepens a rift with Washington at a moment when USMCA trade negotiations remain unresolved and the Trump administration has made cartel crackdowns a top priority — at times threatening military action inside Mexico.
A poll by Mexican firm Massive Caller found that more than 70% of respondents believe Rocha Moya is guilty, and nearly 80% said he should be extradited to the U.S.
So far, Sheinbaum has not moved to arrest or extradite him.
At a Glance
- U.S. charges against Sinaloa Gov. Rocha Moya were unsealed April 29, 2026, in the Southern District of New York
- The indictment names 10 Mexican officials and alleges cartel cooperation during the 2021 Sinaloa election
- Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila lost her U.S. visa about a year ago; her ex-husband is under Mexican federal investigation for alleged organized crime ties
- Tamaulipas Gov. Américo Villarreal has been repeatedly linked to huachicol and cartel collusion; no formal charges have been filed
- Rocha Moya stepped down as governor after the charges were unsealed; he denies all allegations
- Mexico’s Sheinbaum government has asked the U.S. Justice Department for “irrefutable” proof before pursuing extradition
- Carlos Loret de Mola’s column appears in Diario de Yucatán and is among the most widely read in Mexico
Source: Diario de Yucatán; Al Jazeera; Christian Science Monitor; Infobae; Mexico News Daily