Mexican governor facing US drug charges seeks leave just one day after returning to office

Embattled Sinaloa, Mexico, Gov. Rubén Rocha Moya abruptly requested an indefinite leave of absence Saturday, just one day after returning to office following a three-month absence triggered by U.S. drug trafficking charges against him.

Rocha, 77, shared a letter on social media asking for "temporary leave of an indefinite nature, for more than 30 days" from his position as governor.

The letter, dated Aug. 22 and stamped received by the Sinaloa State Congress that day, does not say when Rocha plans to return or why he is stepping away again.

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The request came just a day after Rocha announced his return and said it was his "duty to fulfill the mandate" of voters who elected him to serve through Oct. 31, 2027.

"Today, I return to the exercise of my responsibility as Governor of Sinaloa with a clear conscience and head held high, with the strength of truth on our side," Rocha wrote Friday on X.

Rocha said he spent 112 days away from office while making himself available to Mexican authorities investigating what he called "false accusations" by the U.S. government.

He said he personally appeared before Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office and answered investigators’ questions.

Rocha insisted the investigation had produced no evidence that he committed a crime and accused political opponents in Mexico and abroad of trying to damage both the country’s sovereignty and the left-wing movement he represents.

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"I am unrelated to and innocent of the fabrications woven against me," Rocha wrote.

Rocha’s return Friday did not get a warm reception from Mexico’s ruling Morena party or the government of President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Morena said it had no advance knowledge of Rocha’s decision and distanced itself from the move, according to Reuters. Mexico’s Interior Ministry said returning to office was Rocha’s decision alone and noted that the attorney general’s investigation remained open.

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Sheinbaum also posted a pointed message on X.

"No personal interest can ever stand above the interests of the people and the Nation," she wrote.

"Mexico deserves public servants who understand that positions are temporary, but responsibility to the Nation is eternal," Sheinbaum added.

U.S. prosecutors charged Rocha and nine other current and former officials in April with drug trafficking and related weapons offenses. The current and former high-ranking government and law enforcement officials are alleged to have partnered with the Sinaloa cartel to distribute massive quantities of narcotics to the United States.

Rocha is the first sitting Mexican governor to face charges from the U.S., according to Reuters.

The case has strained relations between the U.S. and Mexico. Sheinbaum has called the charges foreign interference, while Mexico says Washington has not provided enough evidence to justify Rocha’s arrest or extradition.