Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated Thursday, April 30, that her administration will not tolerate United States "interference" in Mexico's internal affairs, following recent indictments by the Department of Justice against Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya. During her morning press conference, the President emphasized that while her administration will not shield anyone who has committed a crime, any extradition process requires "conclusive and irrefutable evidence" in accordance with Mexican law.
The indictment, made public Wednesday, April 29, by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, names Rocha Moya and nine other high-ranking officials for alleged drug trafficking and weapons possession offenses. According to the Department of Justice, the group—which includes Senator Enrique Inzunza Cázarez and Culiacán Mayor Juan de Dios Gámez—allegedly protected the 'Los Chapitos' faction of the Sinaloa Cartel in exchange for millions of dollars in bribes and the facilitation of illicit operations.
The list of officials named by U.S. authorities also includes Enrique Díaz Vega, former Sinaloa Finance Secretary; Dámaso Castro Zaavedra, Deputy Attorney General; Gerardo Mérida Sánchez, former Security Secretary; Marco Antonio Almanza Avilés, former head of the Investigative Police; as well as Alberto Jorge Contreras Núñez (alias 'Cholo'), José Antonio Dionisio Hipólito (alias 'Tornado'), and Juan Valenzuela Millán. The Department of Justice alleges that these officials leaked confidential security and military intelligence to facilitate the cartel's criminal activities.
Sheinbaum questioned the strength of the evidence presented by Washington, displaying a document to the press that she dismissed as "merely a piece of paper." The President noted that the filing contains nothing more than aliases such as 'Juanito,' 'R1,' and 'Tornado,' arguing that "if clear evidence does not exist, it is evident that the Department of Justice's objective with these charges is political." After confirming she had spoken with Governor Rocha Moya via telephone, the President told him, "if there is nothing, there is nothing to fear."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) reported that it has received 10 requests for provisional detention for extradition purposes, which have been forwarded to the Attorney General's Office (FGR) for legal review. Sheinbaum reminded the press that Mexico's accusatory criminal justice system requires sufficient evidence to infer the commission of a crime before any arrest or extradition warrant can proceed, reiterating that Mexico maintains a relationship of equals with other nations, "never one of subordination."
This diplomatic friction comes amid a period of economic instability for the country. The National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) reported Thursday that Mexico's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contracted by 0.8 percent in the first quarter of 2026, marking its largest quarterly decline since 2024. Gabriela Siller, Director of Economic Analysis at Grupo Financiero Base, warned that contractions in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors could lead Mexico into a recession, prompting the institution to slash its annual growth forecast to 1 percent.
