Mexican governor facing US drug charges says leaving office

A Mexican state govenor, who is wanted by the US for conspiracy to smuggle drugs, says he sought a temporary but indefinite leave of absence just days after his controversial return to office.

"Sinaloa, the nation, and the movement of transformation are above everything," Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha Moya said in a post on X while sharing a document asking the state congress to authortize a "temporary leave of absence of indefinite duration, exceeding 30 days."

Just one day earlier, the politician had announced on X that he was resuming state leadership of Sinaloa. The 77-year-old had stepped away from his position in May to face an investigation by Mexican prosecutors.

In April, US prosecutors alleged that Rocha and nine other current or former officials of the ruling Morena Party conspired with a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel to traffic drugs into the US in exchange for bribes and political support. It was the first time the US publicly charged a sitting Mexican politician.

Rocha has consistently denied the charges and implied that accusations against him are an attempt to harm the left-leaning Morena party.

Rocha's return announcement was not well received in the government or within his own Morena Party. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on said "no personal interest can ever be placed above the interest of the people and the nation."

"Power without principles becomes arrogance; power without limits, abuse; and power that forgets the people ends up confronting history," she said, adding that Mexico deserved public servants who were not there to "feed personal ambitions."

Rocha was considered an ally of Sheinbaum and is very close to her mentor, former president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.