Oh boy, this indictment puts Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in a really precarious position. If President Sheinbaum gives up the Governor of Sinaloa, Mexico, Ruben Rocha Moya to extradition the Sinaloa cartel will go ultra-violent against Sheinbaum and Moya will likely take down the entire government apparatus with him.
[Read Indictment Here]
[Ancillary to this, it now makes sense why all the various Mexican federal officials were publicly criticizing the Trump administration and CIA in recent days. They knew this in advance.]
The DOJ (SDNY) has indicted Mexican Governor Ruben Rocha Moya along with nine current and former Mexican officials for participating “in a corrupt and violent drug trafficking conspiracy with the Cartel to import massive amounts of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine from Mexico into the United States.
“The defendants have played a variety of essential roles for the Cartel: among other things, the defendants have allegedly shielded Cartel leaders from investigation, arrest, and prosecution; caused sensitive law enforcement and military information to be provided to members of the Cartel and allied drug traffickers to assist the Cartel’s criminal activities; directed members of state and local law enforcement agencies, such as the Sinaloa State Police, the Investigative Police for the Sinaloa State Attorney General’s Office, and the Culiacan Municipal Police, to protect drug loads stored in and transiting through Mexico to the United States; and allowed brutal drug-related violence to be committed by members of the Cartel without consequence. In exchange, the defendants have collectively received millions of dollars in drug money from the Cartel.” (link)
[(Seated, Right) Rubén Rocha Moya, 76 years old — Acting Governor of Sinaloa. Conspiracy to import narcotics, possession of machine guns and destructive devices. Maximum penalty: life imprisonment. Mandatory minimum: 40 years. Party: Morena. (Seated, Left) Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.]
VIA LBR on Twitter: – […] This move represents a direct and aggressive escalation by Washington against the highest levels of the Mexican state apparatus. The indictments detail a systemic entanglement between regional Morena governance and cartel operations, effectively labeling the Sinaloa state leadership a criminal enterprise under U.S. law.
This legal assault by the DOJ decapitates the political leadership of one of Mexico’s most strategically sensitive states at a moment of extreme national fragility. By targeting a sitting governor, the U.S. is signaling a total collapse of bilateral trust and an end to the era of diplomatic shielding for Mexican officials. The move is designed to force a confrontation within the Sheinbaum administration, leaving Mexico City with zero room to maneuver between its domestic political alliances and the threat of total diplomatic isolation. The fallout will be immediate and chaotic.
Beyond the legal proceedings, these indictments serve as a precursor to broader sanctions and a likely reclassification of Mexican security cooperation. For the Mexican government, the era of managed stability in Sinaloa is over; Sheinbaum is now facing a direct challenge to state legitimacy and a physical security vacuum that will likely trigger a violent internal restructuring of cartel hierarchies and government control.” (SOURCE)
“I would urge you to see the truth of the situation you are in Claudia. That is my advice. It is not for me to tell you what you should have done or not done. The world in which you seek to undo the mistakes you made is different from the world where the mistakes were made. You are now at the crossing, and you want to choose – but there is no choosing here. There is only accepting. The choosing was done a long time ago. … I don’t mean to offend you, but reflective women often find themselves removed from the realities of life. In any case, we should all prepare a place where we can accommodate all of the tragedies that sooner or later will come to our lives. But this is an economy few people care to practice, and that is because when it comes to losing leadership the normal rules of exchanges do not apply, because losing office transcends value. Nicolas Maduro would give his entire nation to exit his reality, and yet he cannot buy anything without office, because without office he is worthless.” [Context]
The list of those charged:
Rubén Rocha Moya, for conspiracy to import narcotics; possession of machine guns and explosive devices; conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
Enrique Inzunza Cazárez, current senator and former general secretary of Sinaloa: conspiracy to import narcotics; possession of machine guns and explosive devices; conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
Enrique Díaz Vega, former Secretary of Administration and Finance of Sinaloa: conspiracy to import narcotics; possession of machine guns and explosive devices; conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
Damaso Castro Zaavedra, Deputy Attorney General of the Attorney General’s Office of the State of Sinaloa: conspiracy to import narcotics; possession of machine guns and explosive devices; conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
Marco Antonio Almanza Aviles, former head of the Investigation Police of the Attorney General’s Office of the State of Sinaloa: conspiracy to import narcotics; possession of machine guns and explosive devices; conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
Alberto Jorge Contreras Nunez “Cholo” former head of the Investigative Police for the Sinaloa State Attorney General’s Office: Possession of machineguns and destructive devices; Conspiracy to possess machineguns and destructive devices
Gerardo Merida Sanchez former Secretary of Public Security for Sinaloa: Narcotics importation conspiracy; Possession of machineguns and destructive devices; Conspiracy to possess machineguns and destructive devices
Jose Antonio Dionisio Hipolito “Tornado” Former Deputy Director of the Sinaloa State Police: Narcotics importation conspiracy; Possession of machineguns and destructive devices; Conspiracy to possess machineguns and destructive devices
Juan de Dios Gamez Mendivil Mayor of Culiacan: Narcotics importation conspiracy; Possession of machineguns and destructive devices; Conspiracy to possess machineguns and destructive devices
Juan Antonio Valenzuela Millán, “Comandante Juanito” or “Julieta,” a commander within the Culiacán Municipal Police: Narcotics importation conspiracy; Possession of machineguns and destructive devices; Conspiracy to possess machineguns and destructive devices; Kidnapping resulting in death; Conspiracy to commit kidnapping resulting in death.
was Alejandro “Freeko Bandito” Castillo Vega also charged fro drug trafficing?
Some really bad things are going to start happening in Mexico. The fallout from these indictments will be seen outside of Mexico and probably surface all across the southern states of the US. What Id like to see are the cartel’s footprints in Canada, where Chinese chemicals are still being imported to the Canadian fentanyl labs. That poison is still causing massive amounts of ODs in nearly every part of the US.
Wow.
No kidding. The proverbial rock IS the hard place.
SDNY is not our friend. I would be concern about this.
I wonder how it came to be that it was SDNY that was involved.
Wiser to make a good deal with President Trump then stick to the status quo with the cartels.
What the Mexican leadership and the common Mexican have for priorities is not necessarily going to align either.
What will the Mexican people do? The choice they say, is theirs to make.
I’m concerned about President Sheinbaum’s safety…
If the Sinaloa Cartel starts drinking…
They may try tequila. 🙂
Oooh, I see what you did there.
She could book herself out of tequila land and be put into the fbi anonomus person program.
Prohibition does not work.
The cartels are just the vendors feeding the insatiable USA appetite for drugs and other things.
If the end user’s need does not stop, it does not matter how many cartel members and their friends in politics get taken out.
They dont matter. There are always replacements.
USA medical practice and culture is what hooks people into believing that there is a pill for every ill, real or imagined.
Big Pharma is just another cartel.
Why dont they just handle the products that the criminal cartels handle?
I remember Nixon in 1971 launching the war on drugs.
The war has ebbed and flowed over the past 54 years, but the results are clear. Drugs won.
This latest phase of the ‘war on drugs’is about something else
…caused sensitive law enforcement…information to be provided to members of the Cartel…
I’ll bet there are some on this side of the border who could be charged as well.
Many on this side of the border. Start with the Congress.
The two CeeEyeAye agents recently killed in Mexico….I’m left wondering if the secret-squirrel agency is hips-deep involved in the drug running to the US.
Ha ! Of course they are….
At the very least, those without “former” in their bio should be forced to resign their positions.
Some may prefer extradition to the U. S. just to stay alive.
Trump is more savage than his enemies.
More smarter too.
As all true leaders are.
Somewhere Kamala Cackles, or was that Hilary? Signs of the left.
Seems like the left is Wifi and the Right is the hardline. Either works “as a form of government”, but one is a lot more robust and dependable.
The hardline has more room for playfulness to home the signal, while the wifi struggles to carry the root signal.
Who knows, maybe wifi will carry the future and we aren’t all that different after all.
But for now, only a fool isn’t plugged in.
https://reason.com/2025/12/26/from-nixon-to-trump-the-war-on-drugs-has-been-a-disaster-for-americans-freedom/
Even better.
Strategically maximally disruptive.
The cocky cartels think they own everyone, can do what they want, and purposely flaunt their disregard of the law. They must either declare to the United States that they think they are above the law, and prepare to fight and demonstrate that they are that powerful.
If they defend themselves legally, they are going to have to out several prominent U.S. citizens and institutions. What a cascade of events.
If they stand up to us by force, they may be Madero’d like the president of Venezuela.
Sheinbaum is going to have to become a strong leader and fight for the good of her country. She must choose good vs evil. Is she for the law and order or ordinary Mexican citizens — or is she a hypocritical leader, betraying the well being of her citizens in order to do the will of the Cartels?
And what kind of ripple effect will the weakening of the Cartels in Mexico have on the politics of our beautiful state of California?
Oh, and Ms. Claudia Sheinbaum, its about time to talk about our need to make a better deal than this old USMCA
All over the world, President Trump is shining strategic sunlight — forcing people to declare if they are Good or Evil. Each intervention shines very uncomfortable light on layers of dominos in hiding — forcing more sunlight for common sense common people to better see the truth and decide how they are going to live.
He is bringing hope to the world in every corner that Good may yet prevail after all over evil, and that if one man can really make a difference, that surely many of us can find the courage to act and speak in accordance with the innate good in our hearts.
It all comes down to faith. Either we trust in a righteous God or we live in fear. It’s one or the other.
If we try to remain neutral, neither hot nor cold, God will spew us from His mouth.
It is time now to choose who we are and how we will live our lives. President Trump has demonstrated to the world what it means to have the courage of our convictions and how to live our faith.
Sheinbaum…
“The world in which you seek to undo the mistakes you made is different from the world where the mistakes were made.
You are now at the crossing, and you want to choose – but there is no choosing here.
There is only accepting. The choosing was done a long time ago.”
The list of U.S. national counterparts should be interesting. I imagine they are a bit twitchy and calling their attorneys.
Bottom line is we can’t permanently tolerate a narco-state on our border.
Don’t forget the Cartel ties to election rigging in the US.
Didn’t a Judge just block Trump Administration from cleaning AZ voter rolls?
Keep peeling the onion!
Soemone explaint to my non legal ears what authority we have in charging these individuals with crimes.
Are the laws broken Mexican laws or US laws?
Were the crimes committed in Mexico or the US?
What is the basis that we have to demand that these Mexicans come here and be tried for crimes. Will they do jail time here if convicted?
What authority does Sheinbaum have to force the Mexican criminals to come here for court?
If Sheinbaum is defiant doesn’t turn them over, what recourse do we have?
If Sheinbaum is unsuccessful (either by sincere or pretended effort) in forcing the Mexican criminals to come before U.S. courts what recourse does the U.S. have to go get them?
They facilitated the commission of a crime that occurred within the US.
What recourse?
Well, Venezuela would be a good example.
“If Sheinbaum gives up the Governor of Sinaloa, Mexico, Ruben Rocha Moya to extradition the Sinaloa cartel will go ultra-violent against Sheinbaum and Moya will likely take down the entire government apparatus with him.”
If she doesn’t
“The move is designed to force a confrontation within the Sheinbaum administration, leaving Mexico City with zero room to maneuver between its domestic political alliances and the threat of total diplomatic isolation.
The fallout will be immediate and chaotic.”