Ruben Rocha, the Biggest Fish of the Sinaloa Ten, has returned from his leave of absence to his post as governor of Sinaloa.
To summarize, near the end of April, a U.S. federal court indicted ten Mexican officials and former officials, all from the state of Sinaloa, for involvement with the Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.
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Governor Rocha took a temporary leave of absence from the governorship, in order to fight the charges. In the middle of May it was reported that despite his leave of absence he was still involved in the governance of Sinaloa.
Last month, it was reported that Rocha was negotiating for a possible surrender to U.S. authorities.
But now, Rocha has returned to his post as governor.
From Reuters: “The governor of Mexico’s Sinaloa state, Ruben Rocha Moya, returned to office on Friday [August 21] after taking leave for more than three months following U.S. drug trafficking charges, a move likely to deepen strains between Mexico and the United States. Rocha, 77, a member of Mexico’s ruling Morena party, said in a statement posted on X that he was resuming his duties with a ‘clear conscience’ and his ‘head held high.’ The development marks a remarkable turnaround for Rocha, who has not only avoided, for now, extradition to the United States but has also reclaimed the governor’s office.”