U.S. authorities have arrested an ally of Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha, who was charged last month for alleged ties to the Sinaloa Cartel.
Gerardo Merida Sanchez, public security secretary in Rocha's government from September 2023 to December 2024, was arrested in Arizona on Monday.
Both Rocha and Merida are charged with conspiring with Sinaloa Cartel leaders to import large quantities of narcotics into the U.S. in exchange for political support and bribes, according to an indictment unsealed on April 29.
Rocha denied the charges, calling them a political attack, and stepped aside temporarily on May 2.
