International News: Sinaloa Governor requests leave again following backlash over U.S. cartel charges

By Zoila Palma:  Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha has again requested a leave of absence from office, just days after returning to his post following more than three months away, Reuters report.

Rocha’s latest move comes amid growing political backlash over his return and U.S. federal charges accusing him of drug trafficking, bribery and protecting a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.

Rocha, 77, returned to office on Friday after taking leave following the U.S. indictment. His return was reportedly met with resistance within Mexico’s ruling Morena party and the federal government, which accused the governor of placing personal interests ahead of the public.

President Claudia Sheinbaum added to the pressure on Saturday with a message warning that “power without principles becomes arrogance.”

Earlier this year, U.S. prosecutors accused Rocha and nine current and former Mexican officials of conspiring with Los Chapitos, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, allegedly facilitating drug trafficking into the United States in exchange for political support and bribes.

The case represents a rare expansion of U.S. anti-cartel action targeting a sitting senior Mexican politician rather than focusing solely on criminal organizations and their leaders.

Rocha has rejected the U.S. allegations and described the case as a politically motivated attack against Sheinbaum’s Morena movement.

 Mexico’s government has previously said Washington had not provided sufficient evidence to justify Rocha’s arrest or extradition, although Mexican authorities have opened their own investigation into the allegations.

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