Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Thursday that her administration would not tolerate U.S. interference in domestic affairs, vowing that her attorney general would investigate allegations from a New York court indictment accusing ten current and former Mexican officials of collaborating with the Sinaloa Cartel to traffic drugs.
The indictment named several sitting officials in the state of Sinaloa, including members of Sheinbaum's progressive Morena party, igniting a political storm at a time when Sheinbaum is attempting to balance U.S. pressures with maintaining support from her political base. Shortly after the indictment was made public, Mexico's government confirmed it had received extradition requests from the United States for ten citizens, though it did not disclose their identities.
The most prominent figure implicated was Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya, a senior Morena official and a close ally of Sheinbaum's mentor and predecessor, former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Sheinbaum stated on Thursday that Mexican prosecutors would examine the cases and compile their own evidence to "determine whether there is a legal basis for the allegations made by U.S. authorities to request arrest warrants."
The president had previously asserted that she had seen no evidence supporting the U.S. claims. She added that she was prepared to firmly resist if their investigation found "no clear evidence" that those charged had committed a crime. "If it is evident that the Justice Department's charges are politically motivated, let there be absolutely no doubt: under no circumstances will we allow a foreign government to interfere in decisions that are the exclusive prerogative of the Mexican people," Sheinbaum declared.
