Federal prosecutors in New York have charged 10 current and former Mexican government and law enforcement officials — including the sitting governor of Sinaloa state — with drug trafficking and related weapons offenses, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the Drug Enforcement Administration announced.
The indictment, unsealed this week, names Ruben Rocha Moya, who has served as Sinaloa’s governor since November 2021, along with nine other current or former state and local officials. Prosecutors allege the defendants collectively received millions of dollars in drug money from the Sinaloa Cartel’s so-called Chapitos faction — the sons of imprisoned kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman — in exchange for protecting drug shipments and shielding cartel leaders from arrest.
The defendants are accused of helping funnel massive quantities of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine from Mexico into the United States, according to the indictment. Prosecutors allege the cartel helped Rocha Moya win the governorship by kidnapping and intimidating his political rivals, and that he later attended meetings with the Chapitos and promised to let them operate without interference.
One defendant, Damaso Castro Zaavedra, identified as the deputy attorney general for the Sinaloa State Attorney General’s Office, allegedly received roughly $11,000 per month from the cartel and, in return, tipped off cartel members to planned U.S.-backed law enforcement operations.
Another defendant, Juan Valenzuela Millan, a senior commander in the Culiacan Municipal Police, faces additional charges tied to the kidnapping of a DEA confidential source and the source’s relative that resulted in their deaths. Prosecutors allege Millan, who received more than $1,600 per month from the Chapitos, gave the cartel access to his police force and used officers to help the group maintain control of Culiacan through arrests, kidnappings and murder. The DEA source and relative were abducted in October 2023 and later tortured and killed, according to the indictment.
“No matter your title or position, we are committed to bringing you to justice,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said.
DEA Administrator Terrance Cole said the indictment exposed “a deliberate effort to undermine public institutions and put American lives at risk.”
All 10 defendants are believed to be living in Mexico. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla in Manhattan. The charges are accusations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
This article was constructed with the assistance of artificial intelligence and published by a member of The Washington Times’ AI News Desk team. The contents of this report are based solely on The Washington Times’ original reporting, wire services, and/or other sources cited within the report. For more information, please read our AI policy or contact Steve Fink, Director of Artificial Intelligence, at sfink@washingtontimes.com
The Washington Times AI Ethics Newsroom Committee can be reached at aispotlight@washingtontimes.com.
