U.S. indicts Sinaloa governor and officials over cartel ties

U.S. prosecutors unsealed a 34-page indictment charging Sinaloa Gov. Rubén Rocha Moya and several current and former Mexican officials with narcotics and gun crimes tied to the Sinaloa cartel’s Los Chapitos, alleging monthly bribe payments and cartel-backed influence that helped smuggle fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and meth into the United States. The case, which could carry life sentences, marks the first indictment of a sitting Mexican governor and comes as Mexico faces delicate bilateral dynamics ahead of US‑Mexico‑Canada trade talks; two of El Chapo’s sons are in U.S. custody and reportedly cooperating, while Rocha Moya and others deny the charges and extradition requests are being reviewed.