Former Sinaloa security chief arrested in U.S. on cartel bribery charges

A former top security official from the Mexican state of Sinaloa has been arrested in the United States and faces federal charges accusing him of accepting massive bribes from the notorious Sinaloa Cartel in exchange for protecting its operations.

Gerardo Merida Sanchez, 66, who served as Sinaloa’s public security secretary from September 2023 to December 2024, was taken into custody on May 11 in Arizona. He has since been transferred to New York, where he is being held at a federal detention facility in Brooklyn. He is expected to appear in federal court in Manhattan on Friday.

According to an indictment unsealed late Thursday, Merida Sanchez and former Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha are accused of conspiring with cartel leaders to import large quantities of narcotics into the United States. Prosecutors allege that in return for political support and bribes, the officials shielded the cartel’s operations.

U.S. prosecutors say Merida Sanchez received more than $100,000 in monthly cash bribes from Los Chapitos, a powerful faction of the cartel led by the sons of imprisoned kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. Authorities allege he used his position to order law enforcement not to arrest cartel members while targeting rival groups instead.

He is also accused of leaking sensitive intelligence to the cartel, including advance warning of investigations and planned raids. In one instance in 2023, authorities said he tipped off the group ahead of at least 10 raids, allowing cartel members to move personnel, drugs and equipment before security forces arrived.

The case has deepened political tensions between Washington and Mexico City. Rocha, a member of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Morena party, has denied the charges, calling them an attack on Mexico’s governing political movement. He temporarily stepped down on May 2, requesting a 30-day leave of absence and vowing to cooperate with Mexico’s investigation.

President Sheinbaum said her government would not protect anyone who commits a crime but suggested the U.S. charges appeared politically motivated, adding, “If there isn’t clear evidence, it is obvious that the objective of these indictments by the Department of Justice is political.”

The arrests come amid a broader hard-line shift in U.S. counternarcotics policy under President Donald Trump. According to The New York Times, federal prosecutors have been instructed to consider using terrorism-related statutes against Mexican officials allegedly linked to the drug trade, a move expected to further strain bilateral relations.