The United States government has dealt a significant blow in its crusade against Mexican drug trafficking and politics with the capture of Gerardo Mérida and Enrique Díaz Vega, former Secretaries of Security and Finance of Sinaloa, respectively, who voluntarily surrendered to U.S. authorities this week. Both are part of Washington’s explosive accusation against the governor of Sinaloa (currently on leave), Rubén Rocha Moya, for alleged ties to organized crime.
While the government of Claudia Sheinbaum repeatedly demands evidence from Washington to determine whether the arrest and extradition of Rocha and the other nine individuals named are warranted, as requested by the U.S., the Trump administration is simultaneously pursuing its strategy in Sinaloa and has overcome Mexican resistance. The birthplace of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s cartel could be the point where the web of corrupt politics that has benefited drug traffickers for years begins to unravel.
The downfall of Mérida and Díaz Vega represents a major blow to Rocha, whose support base is dwindling, and to Morena, the ruling party, which is under intense scrutiny for having alleged narco-politicians within its ranks. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mérida, a retired general who commanded the State Police between 2023 and 2024, played a crucial role in the corruption network—of which the governor was allegedly the head—that facilitated the Sinaloa Cartel’s empire.
The indictment, filed in a New York court, alleges that Mérida leaked information to Los Chapitos, the faction led by El Chapo Guzmán’s sons, about security force operations targeting drug labs, so the drug lords could move equipment and drugs in advance. In exchange, according to the indictment, the former official received bribes of more than $100,000 per month in cash (totaling approximately 1.7 million pesos).
Meanwhile, Díaz Vega, a businessman who became a public servant in Rocha’s administration, where he served as Finance Secretary between 2021 and 2024, is accused by Washington of acting as a liaison between the governor and the leaders of Los Chapitos.
The indictment states that, during the 2021 gubernatorial elections, Díaz Vega gave Los Chapitos a list with the names and addresses of Rocha’s opponents so they could threaten them and force them to withdraw from the race. During Rocha’s six-year term, Díaz Vega allegedly placed officials in government positions who were at the service of the cartel. Although Mérida and Díaz Vega have pleaded not guilty to the charges—which include conspiracy to traffic drugs and possession of high-caliber weapons—their voluntary surrender to U.S. authorities means they can cooperate with the Justice Department by providing information about the scheme, which could cloud the horizon for the other eight individuals implicated, including Rocha.
This Friday, the Mexican press reported that the bank accounts of the Sinaloa governor and the other nine accused by Washington of collaborating with the Sinaloa Cartel had been frozen. Federal government officials consulted by EL PAÍS clarified that it was a “review” of the accounts of those named, a necessary step in compiling a case file from Mexico, without implying that the accounts were blocked. The sources have indicated that the Mexican justice system is advancing its own investigation into the Rocha case, stemming from the U.S. case file, although this has not been officially reported.
