As Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and her government continue to claim that the U.S. Government does not have any evidence of wrongdoing against Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha Moya and nine of his closest allies, who are accused of working for the Sinaloa Cartel. Three of those officials have now crossed the border into the U.S. and allegedly turned themselves in.
The issue comes at a time when tensions between the U.S. and Mexico continue to rise over the southern country protecting drug cartels instead of eradicating them. The most recent development took place this weekend, when Mexican Senator Enrique Inzunza Cazarez reportedly traveled to San Diego and surrendered himself to U.S. authorities. Inzunza is wanted on drug conspiracy charges out of a federal criminal indictment in New York.
Despite three of the ten officials having surrendered, Sheinbaum remains defiant. She said this weekend during a speech that no foreign government will take away Mexico’s transformation. The comments appear to be framed as direct resistance to the U.S. pressure to fight criminal organizations and corruption.
The weekend developments place Sheinbaum in an even tougher spot, since she claims there is no evidence of wrongdoing, the same public officials she is protecting are turning themselves in to the U.S. Department of Justice. The actions this weekend led various politicians to claim that accused drug traffickers have more decency than the politicians from Sheinbaum’s party, MORENA.
As Breitbart Texas reported, late last week, former Sinaloa Public Security Secretary General Gerardo Merida Sanchez turned himself in to U.S. authorities at a port of entry in Nogales, Arizona. Merida Sanchez is facing drug conspiracy and federal weapons charges in a U.S. federal court. After his arrest, authorities moved him to a federal court in New York, where he is awaiting trial. Merida Sanchez is reportedly the one who not only provided protection to the Sinaloa Cartel but also used his position to warn them of military raids and operations.
A second public official recently turned himself in to U.S. authorities. Details of the arrest have not been confirmed by either the U.S. government or Mexico. According to various news reports, Enrique Diaz Vega, the former Finance Secretary for Sinaloa, traveled to New York, where he surrendered to U.S. authorities and has reportedly been negotiating a deal with prosecutors. Diaz Vega is the individual believed to be responsible for helping Rocha Moya handle cartel money.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.