Ruben Rocha Moya, the governor of the state of Sinaloa, was the biggest fish of the ten Mexican officials and former officials recently indicted by a U.S. federal court for collusion with the Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa cartel.
On May 2nd, at 12:05 a.m, on a pre-recorded video, Governor Rocha announced that he was taking a temporary leave of absence from the governorship, in order to fight the charges.
After that, Rocha wasn’t seen or heard from for a week. In keeping with the typical Mexican sense of humor, this meme appeared, portraying Ruben Rocha as a missing person on a milk carton:
Source: Alex Baqueiro Twitter X
On May 13th, Mexico Daily Post reported this: “Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya reportedly left Culiacán’s Government Palace aboard a military helicopter with his sons, following revelations published by Proceso about his presence in the building. The incident has fueled speculation about political tensions and the governor’s relationship with federal authorities.”
What was Rocha doing at the Sinaloa state capitol if he took a temporary leave of absence from the governorship?
Well, according to Proceso, reports indicate that Rocha, despite his temporary leave of absence, is still involved in the governance of Sinaloa.
Another Proceso article reports the theory of security analyst David Saucedo. According to Saucedo, Rocha is being held by the Mexican Navy while President Sheinbaum negotiates with the United States.
If Ruben Rocha is arrested and tried, is it not likely that, in order to reduce his sentence, he would blow the whistle on other high-level Mexican politicians colluding with narcos?
That leads us to another humorous Mexican meme: “MORENA politicians erasing photos with Rocha Moya“:
