Amid US drug charges, Mexican Governor Ruben Rocha requests office leave despite party tension

Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha, who is facing drug-trafficking, bribery, and cartel-protection charges from US federal prosecutors, requested a leave of absence from office on Saturday, just days after reasserting his position. His return was met with disapproval from both the Mexican government and the ruling Morena party, which claimed he was more concerned with his personal interests than the welfare of the public.

President Claudia Sheinbaum had warned on X/Twitter that "power without principles becomes arrogance" and that "no personal interest can ever be above those of the people or the Nation," amplifying the political turmoil without directly naming Rocha. Rocha, a member of Sheinbaum's Morena party, retorted on X that "Sinaloa, the nation, and the transformation movement are above all else."

The 77-year-old politician returned to office on Friday, following more than three months on leave due to drug-trafficking charges. In April, US prosecutors accused Rocha and nine other current and former officials of conspiring with a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, known as Los Chapitos, to facilitate drug trafficking into the US in exchange for political backing and bribes.

This marked a rare expansion of anti-cartel actions from targeting drug bosses to including a senior Mexican politician. Rocha has claimed the US case is a politically motivated attack against Sheinbaum's movement. While Sheinbaum's administration previously dismissed Washington's evidence as insufficient to justify Rocha's arrest or extradition, there were indications that both Sheinbaum and Morena were not enthusiastic about his return to power, highlighting lingering tensions within the ruling party over the case.