Rocha Moya case: Mexican journalist warns on VOZ News that drug trafficking scandal uncovered by US in Sinaloa could implicate Sheinbaum and AMLO

The drug trafficking scandal that erupted this year in the Mexican state of Sinaloa could end up implicating the highest-ranking figures of Mexico's ruling party, including former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and current President Claudia Sheinbaum. This warning was issued by veteran Mexican journalist Lolita de la Vega in an interview on VOZ News conducted by executive director Karina Yapor.

The case broke out in late April, when the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York indicted Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya, along with nine other state officials and ex-officials, of having protected "Los Chapitos," the faction of the Sinaloa Cartel headed by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's sons. According to the U.S. indictment, Rocha allegedly facilitated drug trafficking to the United States in exchange for bribes and political favors. Washington requested his extradition and two of the accused ex-officials have already turned themselves in to U.S. authorities. Rocha, on the other hand, resigned from his post and on Tuesday went to testify before the Mexican prosecutor's office, where he denied the accusations.

When asked if Mexico would manage to stop the extradition, De la Vega affirmed that what would be more convenient for the governor is to "play dead," precisely because of everything he allegedly knows about the case. "If anyone has first-hand information, it is him," she said.

The journalist recalled López Obrador’s visits to Badiraguato, the cradle of Sinaloan drug trafficking, during which the then-president greeted the mother of "El Chapo" Guzmán and requested that the press not accompany him. According to her account, the person who went with him was Rocha Moya; consequently, the governor would be privy to "any number of secrets," including an alleged role as a liaison to drug traffickers to finance political campaigns. From this stems Lolita de la Vega’s conclusion: if Moya were to confess, he would be "practically putting a noose around the necks" of both López Obrador and Sheinbaum.

De la Vega also rejected the argument, echoed by Sheinbaum, that the United States uses drug trafficking as a pretext to intervene in Mexico. "Mexico has had a very serious problem for a long time," she asserted, and she defended President Donald Trump's concern regarding the flow of drugs into his country, which he characterized as a "cancer."

The commentator further denounced a double standard by the ruling party, comparing the pressure Morena exerted on Chihuahua Governor Maru Campos with the presumption of innocence that the very same movement claims for Rocha Moya: "It strikes me as a blatant charade," she declared.