The U.s. Is Investigating Two More Mexican Governors For Connections To Cartels

MEXICO CITY  — The U.S. is investigating 2 salient Mexican governors, aggregate sources said, arsenic nan Trump management expands its run against high-level Mexican officials suspected of ties to organized crime.

The move against sitting authorities officials threatens to undermine Mexico’s ruling statement — which came to powerfulness connected a committedness to combat corruption — and further strain nan already tense narration betwixt nan 2 countries.

For years, nan U.S. refrained from investigating sitting politicians successful its conflict against supplier trafficking, preferring to target cartel leaders. But arsenic galore of Mexico’s astir notorious supplier traffickers person been killed, arrested, aliases person turned themselves in, Washington has shifted its attraction to prosecuting elected leaders and rule enforcement agents suspected of engagement successful organized crime.

Alfonso Durazo, nan politician of Sonora, and Américo Villarreal Anaya, nan politician of Tamaulipas, person some been stripped of their U.S. visas amid criminal probes, according to group acquainted pinch nan cases.

Both are members of Mexico’s ruling Morena statement and friends of President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has criticized a caller spate of U.S. investigations into sitting Mexican leaders arsenic electoral interference and a usurpation of her country’s sovereignty.

In April, nan Justice Department revealed sweeping criminal charges against salient members of Sheinbaum’s party, including Gov. Rubén Rocha Moya of Sinaloa. He was accused on pinch 9 different existent and erstwhile officials of helping nan Sinaloa cartel smuggle fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine into nan U.S. successful speech for millions of dollars successful bribes and thief winning elections.

“Is it genuinely a morganatic liking to combat organized crime?” Sheinbaum asked astatine a caller governmental rally. “Or are we possibly witnessing really sectors of nan American acold correct are utilizing our state to position themselves for their 2026 elections? Or do they intend to power nan 2027 predetermination successful our country?”

Durazo, 71, nan politician of nan separator authorities of Sonora, is 1 of nan highest-profile leaders to day believed to beryllium nether investigation. He antecedently served arsenic Mexico’s information minister, helping instrumentality erstwhile President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s arguable “hugs, not bullets” strategy, which emphasized addressing nan guidelines causes of crime alternatively of subject confrontations. Sonora is simply a awesome supplier trafficking transit way to nan U.S.

People acquainted pinch his case, who said connected information of anonymity to talk soul matters, said Durazo’s visa was canceled past year, and nan U.S. is investigating him for alleged ties to organized crime.

Alfonso Durazo, right, past Mexico’s caput of nationalist security, appears astatine a news convention pinch past President Andrés Manuel López Obrador successful Mexico City successful 2019. He has been a adjacent state of López Obrador.

(Sashenka Gutierrez/EPA-EFE/REX/Sashenka Gutierrez/EPA-EFE/REX)

They said Durazo travels to nan U.S. regularly to person specialized curen for a aesculapian information nether a parole programme typically reserved for individuals who are cooperating pinch rule enforcement. Durazo’s agency did not respond for a petition for comment.

The program, known arsenic Significant Public Benefit parole, allows non-citizens to attest earlier a expansive assemblage to mitigate consequences of existent aliases pending charges against them aliases others.

“It’s really meant to beryllium utilized arsenic a instrumentality to get intelligence and get evidence,” Vanda Brown of nan Brookings Institution said of nan program. Mexican journalist Luis Chaparro antecedently reported that Durazo had mislaid his visa because of a U.S. investigation and was a recipient of parole. A emblematic tourer visa for nan U.S. lasts up to 10 years pinch a anticipation of renewal.

The investigation into Villarreal, 68, is connected to nan smuggling of pirated fuel, a lucrative forbidden waste and acquisition known successful Mexico arsenic huachicol, according to group acquainted pinch nan case. The sources said Villarreal besides has Significant Public Benefit parole. When he crosses into nan United States he is often escorted by U.S. officials, said 1 personification acquainted pinch his case.

In a statement, Villarreal denied immoderate wrongdoing, calling nan claims false, biased and lacking evidence. He said that, arsenic a nationalist servant, he has ever been transparent, responsible and followed nan law.

Tamaulipas, which borders Texas, is simply a hub for substance smuggling to and from nan United States. Multiple erstwhile governors person been investigated successful Mexico for connections to criminal groups,

The caller revelations are apt to exacerbate unit connected Morena, whose founder, López Obrador, roseate to powerfulness on a committedness to combat corruption, which he said fueled violence. He vowed that nary 1 progressive successful corruption would beryllium spared, moreover “brothers-in-arms.”

Sheinbaum, López Obrador’s governmental protege, has vowed to proceed that fight, and her management has arrested dozens of section officials accused of wrongdoing, including immoderate affiliated pinch Morena.

Some members of her statement person pushed Sheinbaum to sever ties pinch Rocha Moya and different leaders suspected of links to organized crime, lest Morena beryllium tainted by nan allegations. But Sheinbaum has alternatively closed ranks, insisting her authorities will not comply pinch nan U.S. petition that it extradite Rocha Moya.

At a rally complete nan weekend, Sheinbaum dismissed nan U.S. investigation into Sinaloa officials arsenic a politically motivated smear run against her leftist government.

Ronald Johnson, nan U.S. ambassador to Mexico, criticized her comments. “The conflict against cartels should merge us, not disagreement us,” Johnson wrote connected X. “Every infinitesimal spent turning this shared information situation into a governmental conflict is simply a missed opportunity to fortify our business and protect nan group we serve.”

The escalating rhetoric comes astatine a captious infinitesimal for nan 2 countries, which adjacent period will embark connected a reappraisal of their free waste and acquisition statement pinch Canada.

Over nan years, U.S. prosecutors person occasionally brought corruption cases against erstwhile Mexican officials, including Genaro García Luna, a erstwhile information curate who was sentenced to situation successful 2024 for taking bribes from nan Sinaloa cartel.

But targeting existent elected leaders is simply a caller — and much confrontational — approach. Members of nan Trump management insist it is basal because nan supplier waste and acquisition depends heavy connected nan officials who protect it.

At a gathering successful May, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told Sheinbaum that nan Trump management expects Mexico to nonstop Rocha Moya to nan U.S., according to sources.

Sheinbaum said her management will determine nan governor’s destiny based connected its ain appraisal of his conduct, and warned Mullin that further U.S. indictments against elected leaders would beryllium considered governmental interference successful Mexico’s affairs.

Sheinbaum whitethorn opt to prosecute Rocha Moya, which would awesome to her guidelines that she takes corruption seriously, but isn’t consenting to front to U.S. pressure.

U.S. officials, though, person small religion that Rocha Moya aliases different politicians will beryllium convicted successful Mexican courts.

Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos, successful 2016 photo, erstwhile served arsenic Mexico’s defense minister. He was arrested successful Los Angeles successful 2020 connected drug-trafficking charges and was released to nan Mexican government, which later exonerated him.

(Associated Press)

They constituent to erstwhile Defense Minister Salvador Cienfuegos, who was arrested connected U.S. drug- trafficking charges successful Los Angeles successful 2020, and was released to Mexico aft López Obrador vowed to transportation retired an investigation. Less than 2 months later, nan Mexican authorities exonerated Cienfuegos. Later, López Obrador awarded him a apical subject honor.

Trump has made combating Latin American supplier cartels a signature overseas argumentation priority, taking a maximalist attack that has included declaring gangs violent organizations, blowing up alleged supplier boats astatine sea, and authorizing U.S. subject strikes successful Ecuador and Guatemala.

Trump has many times threatened strikes against cartel targets successful Mexico, which Sheinbaum says Mexico would see an enactment of war. She has decried revelations of nan caller participation of CIA officials successful a ambush connected a supplier laboratory successful bluish Chihuahua state, saying it was a breach of sovereignty.

The cancellation of visas is simply a quieter, but perchance powerful strategy.

Last year, Reuters reported that nan U.S. had, without fanfare, revoked nan visas of astatine slightest 50 politicians and officials successful Mexico, though fewer person publically confirmed they mislaid visas. One leader who acknowledged losing hers is Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Avila, who has denied links to organized crime.

The U.S. National Counterterrorism Center has taken nan lead successful canceling visas, sources told nan Times. The center, a portion of nan Directorate of National Intelligence, now focuses much connected nan cartels that person been designated arsenic violent groups and nan politicians allegedly colluding pinch them than connected imaginable threats from nan Middle East, sources said.

Sources acquainted pinch nan caller strategy said not each U.S. rule enforcement agencies are connected committee pinch much visa cancellations, which they opportunity tin sometimes interfere pinch criminal investigations.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has many times rejected President Trump’s offers to deploy nan U.S. subject against cartel targets successful Mexico, saying specified action would break Mexican sovereignty.

(Cristopher Rogel Blanquet/Getty Images)

Inside nan Sheinbaum administration, nan indictment of Rocha Moya has caused an anxious parlor crippled of guessing which Mexican officials whitethorn beryllium indicted next, group acquainted pinch nan matter said.

The targeting of officials comes arsenic Sheinbaum looks toward midterm elections successful 2027, wherever nan full little enclosure of nan Mexican legislature — wherever her statement presently holds nan mostly — is astatine play, on pinch 17 authorities governorships. She must take candidates to endorse carefully, governmental analysts said, because touting gubernatorial candidates that could extremity up targeted by U.S. rule enforcement could propulsion nan predetermination into disarray and frighten nan party’s majority.

Privately, Sheinbaum has urged members of Morena to resign if they are progressive successful corruption. Publicly, she has taken a defiant stance successful nan look of U.S. allegations that Mexico is “controlled” by cartels. On Tuesday, she responded to Ambassador Johnson, asking that he refrain from commenting connected Mexico’s home issues.

“Mexico’s affairs beryllium to Mexicans,” she said.

This article was co-published pinch Puente News Collaborative, a bilingual nonprofit newsroom that covers stories from Mexico and nan U.S.-Mexico border. Cecilia Sánchez Vidal successful nan Times’ Mexico City bureau contributed to this report.