On May 1, Rubén Rocha Moya requested a leave of absence as governor of Sinaloa after the U.S. Department of Justice accused him of having links to drug trafficking. However, one of the questions that arose hours after he took leave is: where is he?
The Sinaloa Congress approved the leave during an extraordinary session held on Saturday, May 2, in which Yeraldine Bonilla Valverde was also appointed interim governor.
Alongside Rocha Moya’s request for leave was that of Juan de Dios Mendívil, who requested only 10 days, unlike the former state governor, whose leave is indefinite.
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In his place, Ana Miriam Ramos Villarreal, who had been serving as trustee attorney (síndica procuradora), was appointed provisional mayor of Culiacán.
Despite both officials requesting leave, Sinaloa—and especially Culiacán—experienced a violent weekend. During the early hours of May 3, three men were killed and one woman was injured in two separate shootings at the Tres Ríos shopping plaza.
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Also over the weekend, José Porfirio Díaz Medina, alias “El Pío,” was arrested in a federal operation targeting individuals allegedly linked to high-profile criminal organizations.
The arrest took place at a taquería in Los Mochis, in the municipality of Ahome, and was recorded by federal authorities on Thursday, April 30, at 10:15 a.m.
In light of the situation in Sinaloa, on Monday, May 4, the head of the Secretariat of Citizen Security (SSC), Omar García Harfuch, and interim governor Yeraldine Bonilla held a press conference in the state.
Context
Amid this context, during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s press conference, it was reported that Rubén Rocha Moya, the governor of Sinaloa on leave, continues to receive protection from the National Guard.
The president said the measure is part of existing protocols for the protection of public officials. The Department of Justice requested the extradition of the former Sinaloa governor and nine other officials.
During the press conference held in Sinaloa, the Secretary of Citizen Security said: “It was recommended that Governor Rocha Moya, currently on leave, have a security detail. It is a preventive measure; we have no information about any threat of an attack against the former governor.”
He also stated that Rubén Rocha Moya remains in Sinaloa.
The presidential legal counsel, Luisa María Alcalde, explained that the U.S. government must present the corresponding evidence in the Rocha Moya case to establish the urgency supporting the request for provisional detention, which has not happened.
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