US authorities have detained two former high-ranking officials from the Mexican state of Sinaloa, accused of involvement in drug cartels.
According to the newspaper El Universal, former Sinaloa Public Security Minister Gerardo Mérida Sánchez appeared in court after being detained in Arizona, while former Finance Minister Enrique Díaz Vega voluntarily surrendered to US authorities. The newspaper also notes that during the investigation, Mexico's Financial Intelligence Unit has frozen the bank accounts of Sinaloa Governor Rubén Roche Moya and his relatives.
Earlier, on April 29, the US Department of Justice formally charged Sinaloa Governor Rubén Roche Moya and other officials with involvement in drug trafficking and protection of a faction of the Sinaloa cartel known as Los Chapitos. According to US prosecutors, the defendants facilitated the trafficking of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine into the United States.
Following the US charges, Roche Moya announced that he was taking a temporary leave of absence and resigning from his post pending an investigation. As of May 2, Jeraldín Bonilla Valverde, previously Secretary General of the regional government, was appointed acting governor of Sinaloa.