Mexico City, Mexico - The Department of Justice on Wednesday indicted the governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya, as well as 10 other Mexican officials, on charges of drug trafficking and working with cartels.
Without mentioning the indictment, Mexico's Foreign Ministry confirmed that it received US extradition requests for "various people."
It complained that cases like this are normally handled confidentially under bilateral treaties, rather than being announced publicly first, and said it would send a note of protest to the US embassy "over the way it was announced."
The indictment was posted online by the DOJ in a lengthy press release which included statements from high-ranking members of President Donald Trump's administration, such as DEA chief Terrance Cole.
The Mexican attorney general's office will now decide whether to extradite Rocha Moya and the other suspects to the US.
Later Wednesday, local authorities announced their own investigation to determine if "the accusation made by US authorities has legal grounds," Attorney General Spokesperson Ulises Lara said in a social media message.
"I categorically and absolutely reject the accusations made against me," Rocha Moya said in a statement on X.
"To the people of Sinaloa, I say that, with the courage and dignity that characterize us, we will demonstrate the lack of foundation for this slander."
Sinaloa locals respond to Rocha Moya's indictment
Rocha Moya has governed the state of Sinaloa since 2021, amid a war between two factions of the cartel of the same name that has left thousands of people dead.
In February, the capture, and subsequent death of cartel leader Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera triggered a wave of violence across the country, forcing Mexico City to deploy the military in some areas.
In Sinaloa's capital of Culiacan, residents said the possible connection between the government and organized crime could be an explanation for the security crisis in the state.
"This is something that, in a certain way, we saw coming. It was unsustainable, what was going on in Sinaloa," Miguel Taniyama, a 55-year-old restaurateur, told AFP. "This explains to us a lot why the violent crime rate couldn't be lowered."
"These things that we feel and sense here ended up being corroborated by a foreign government's indictment," said 47-year-old Rebeca Espinoza.
The officials accused alongside Rocha Moya include a senator for Morena, the municipal president of Culiacan, and the deputy prosecutor for the state attorney general's office.
"These politicians and law enforcement officials have abused their authority in support of the cartel, exposed and subjected victims to threats and violence," the US indictment reads.
"The Sinaloa Cartel is not just trafficking deadly drugs, it is a designated terrorist organization that relies on corruption and bribery to drive violence and profit," Cole said in the press release.
"This indictment exposes a deliberate effort to undermine public institutions and put American lives at risk," he said. "No one is above the law."