Mexico’s financial enforcement agency has sought to freeze the assets of the Sinaloa governor and nine associates facing drug charges, while the president quickly defended their innocence, claiming the action wasn’t tied to any investigation in Mexico.
During a press conference, Sheinbaum announced that Mexico’s Financial Crimes Unit (UIF) is moving to freeze the accounts and assets of Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha Moya along with nine close associates. As reported, these individuals have been indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice on charges including drug trafficking conspiracy and weapons offenses, allegedly for their connections to the Sinaloa Cartel while in office. Interestingly, two of them have voluntarily turned themselves in to U.S. authorities, though Sheinbaum maintained that the U.S. hasn’t provided evidence of any wrongdoing.
Sheinbaum clarified that the UIF’s actions were standard procedures as part of its collaboration with U.S. financial agencies, stating that the freeze was necessary because the individuals are sought in the United States.
Sheinbaum asserted that no accounts or assets had been frozen in relation to any ongoing investigation in Mexico. Earlier, he had claimed that they were not being investigated there and suggested that the U.S. indictment was politically motivated. Recently, though, his tone has shifted to a more defiant stance in various public addresses.
His administration has been keen on supporting Rocha Moya, partly because of his close political ties to Morena party founder and former president Andres Manuel López Obrador. Currently, Mexican federal police are providing protection to Rocha Moya in Culiacan, Sinaloa state.
