The Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) has summoned Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya to answer questions related to a U.S. indictment charging him and nine other current and former Sinaloa-based officials with drug trafficking.
The FGR has also summoned Chihuahua Governor Maru Campos to an interview in connection with the alleged participation of U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officers in a drug lab raid in the northern state last month.
Both governors indicated they will comply with the summonses and appear before FGR officials. Rocha, who is currently on leave, and Campos both deny any wrongdoing.
The FGR released a statement on Saturday to announce that it had summoned Rocha, Campos and other current and former officials. They include Rocha’s nine co-defendants, among whom are Senator Enrique Inzunza and Culiacán Mayor Juan de Dios Gaméz Mendívil, who is also on leave. Rocha, Inzunza and Gámez all represent Morena, Mexico’s ruling party.
Two other defendants, former Sinaloa Security Minister Gerardo Mérida Sánchez and former Sinaloa Administration and Finance Minister Enrique Díaz Vega, turned themselves in to U.S. authorities earlier this month. All 10 of the current and former officials from Sinaloa are accused of colluding with the Sinaloa Cartel on a drug trafficking conspiracy in exchange for political support and bribes.
Also summoned by the FGR is former Chihuahua Attorney General César Jauregui Moreno, who resigned last month amid the fallout from the alleged participation of the CIA agents in the operation in Chihuahua. Two CIA personnel and two Chihuahua security officials were killed in a car accident after the operation took place.
President Claudia Sheinbaum asserted last month that either the Chihuahua government or the Chihuahua Attorney General’s Office requested security collaboration with U.S. authorities. She has said that the CIA officers participated in the drug lab operation without the knowledge or authorization of the Mexican government, violating Mexican laws. Campos represents the National Action Party (PAN), Mexico’s main opposition party.
Regarding the case against Rocha and the other Sinaloa-based officials, Sheinbaum has endorsed the FGR’s view that there is currently insufficient evidence to arrest the defendants and extradite them to the United States. However, she has also pledged that her government won’t protect anyone who has committed a crime.
At her Monday morning press conference, the president acknowledged that the FGR had summoned both Rocha and Campos. However, she said that the FGR is not formally accusing either governor of committing a crime. The FGR will ultimately have to determine whether there is enough evidence to arrest and extradite Rocha and his seven co-defendants in Mexico, and whether there is proof showing that an official or officials in Chihuahua committed a crime by authorizing collaboration between state forces and the CIA. Regarding the Rocha case, Mexican authorities have requested additional evidence from their U.S. counterparts.
Campos is set to be interviewed by FGR officials this Wednesday, May 27. It is not yet clear when Rocha will speak to FGR personnel.
The cases involving Rocha and Campos have created additional tension in the bilateral security relationship between Mexico and the United States. Sheinbaum said on Friday that she told U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin last Thursday that Mexican laws and the Mexican Constitution don’t allow joint operations to take place on Mexican soil, as allegedly occurred in Chihuahua last month. She didn’t raise Rocha’s case with Mullin, explaining that it corresponds to the U.S. Department of Justice rather than the Department of Homeland Security.
US security collabs must respect Mexican law, Sheinbaum tells Mullin: Friday’s mañanera recapped
Rocha: ‘The truth will prevail’
In a social media post on Saturday, Rocha acknowledged that he had received a summons to appear before the FGR.
“I say to the people of Sinaloa, to the members of our transformation movement and to our leader and the head of the Mexican state: I am an honest man who has nothing to fear. My life story bears witness to who I am. I will attend to the requirement that has been made of me by @FGRMexico with my head held high and with the certainty that the truth will prevail,” he wrote.
Campos: ‘The political persecution against me continues’
In a video message on Saturday, Campos also acknowledged that she had been summoned by the FGR due to what she called “the drug lab issue.”
“They hadn’t done it but after the interviews in recent days [with other officials], they decided to,” she said.
“How about it? They protect criminals and go after those who try to fulfill our duty,” Campos said.
“Yes, the political persecution against me continues. But, as always, I will continue facing up [to the situation] and fighting for your family, for our country, for Chihuahua and for freedom,” she said.
Mexico News Daily
