The key characters in the Rocha Moya case

Rubén Rocha Moya, governor of Sinaloa, returned to his post after 112 days of absence following an investigation that found no grounds to charge him and amid U.S. allegations linking him to Los Chapitos. Rocha Moya posted a 39-second video on social media addressing Sinaloans, stating he had stepped down temporarily to avoid interfering with any process and was now back in office. The case that shook national politics began with the arrest of Ismael El Mayo Zambada and the killing of Héctor Melesio Cuén, leader of the Partido Sinaloense, in July 2024. Rocha Moya left his position in May 2026 after U.S. authorities accused him of alleged ties to Los Chapitos, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. On July 25, 2024, two major events changed the political landscape of Sinaloa: El Mayo Zambada was arrested in the United States along with Joaquín Guzmán López, son of Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán, following a supposed ambush orchestrated by the latter against the leader of La Mayiza. On the same day, Héctor Melesio Cuén, former rector of the Autonomous University of Sinaloa (UAS), leader of the Partido Sinaloense (PAS), and then-elect federal deputy for the PRI, was killed. Initially, the State Attorney General's Office of Sinaloa claimed Cuén Ojeda had been a victim of an attempted car theft at a gas station. This version was later refuted by the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) in August when they confirmed that his murder occurred at the same ranch where El Mayo was detained. On August 10, 2024, Zambada’s lawyer released a letter attributed to the cartel boss, claiming he attended a meeting to help resolve differences between Rocha Moya and Melesio Cuén over control of the Autonomous University of Sinaloa. According to this account, the meeting was scheduled for July 25 at the Rancho Huertos del Pedregal in Culiacán. The letter stated that Joaquín Guzmán López had planned the meeting to ambush, kidnap Zambada, and transport him by plane to the United States. The cartel boss also claimed that Cuén Ojeda was killed at the same place and time he was detained. Rocha Moya denied being at the meeting or even knowing about it at the time, and stated he was not in Sinaloa that day. It was also the first time he rejected any links to organized crime. The case took a new turn when the FGR reviewed the investigation conducted by the Sinaloa Attorney General’s Office into the murder of Melesio Cuén and found inconsistencies and omissions. On August 16, 2024, Sara Bruna Quiñónez resigned as attorney general of Sinaloa following observations from the FGR. On April 29, 2026, the case escalated internationally when the United States accused Rocha Moya and nine other officials and former officials from Sinaloa of alleged ties to Los Chapitos. According to the charges, Sinaloa officials allegedly collaborated with the criminal faction in exchange for political support, institutional protection, and bribes. The investigation also indicated alleged facilitation of drug trafficking to the United States. This accusation marked a substantial shift from the controversy of 2024. On May 1, 2026, just two days after the United States made the accusations public, Rocha Moya requested a temporary leave to step down from the governorship so that investigations could proceed without him leading the state executive. The Congress of Sinaloa approved the leave, and Yeraldine Bonilla Valverde assumed the interim governorship. During the subsequent 112 days, Rocha Moya remained away from the position.