The Government of Mexico confirmed the receipt of requests for provisional arrest for extradition purposes sent by the United States against various people, among them the governor of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya, in a case that has increased bilateral tension.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) reported that the documents were received on April 28 and that, in accordance with the International Extradition Law, they were turned over to the Frequent Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic (FGR) for analysis.
In an official position, The Foreign Ministry stressed that, after an initial legal review, the requests lack sufficient evidentiary support.
“The documents do not have elements of evidence to be able to determine the responsibility of the people whose provisional detention for extradition purposes is requested,” indicated the SRE.
Even so, he specified that the FGR will be the body in charge of determining whether there are elements that allow progress in accordance with the Mexican legal system.
The requests derive from accusations made by US authorities, including the prosecutor’s office of the Southern District of New York and agencies such as the DEA, which link Rocha Moya and nine other officials with the Sinaloa Cartel.
According to these accusations, those accused would have participated in conspiracies to traffic narcotics to the United States, as well as in crimes related to weapons, which could imply sentences of up to life imprisonment.
Among those named in the complaint is Senator Enrique Inzunza Cázarez, along with the deputy prosecutor in vogue of the Sinaloa Prosecutor’s Office, Dámaso Castro Zaavedra.. Also included is Enrique Díaz Vega, who served as Secretary of Administration and Finance in the entity, as well as Marco Antonio Almanza Avilés, former head of the Investigative Police.
Added to the list is Alberto Jorge Contreras Núñez, known as “Cholo”, who also held a position within the Investigative Police; in addition to Gerardo Mérida Sánchez, former state Secretary of Public Security. Also appearing are José Antonio Dionisio Hipólito, alias “Tornado”, former deputy director of the State Police; Juan de Dios Gámez Mendívil, right municipal president of Culiacán; and Juan Valenzuela Millán, alias “Juanito”, former commander of the Municipal Police of that same city.
Thus, a new chapter of bilateral tension is written, given that the Mexican Government emphasized that the process must adhere to the current extradition treaty, which establishes clear criteria on the presentation of evidence, so the absence of evidence prevents, for now, determining responsibilities.
Besides, The SRE announced that it will send a diplomatic expulsion to the United States Embassy for the public dissemination of the case, considering that it could violate the confidentiality clauses of the treaty.
For his part, Rubén Rocha Moya rejected the accusations and assured that they are unfounded: “I categorically and absolutely reject the accusations… they lack any veracity or foundation.”
For now, the evolution of the case will now depend on whether the Prosecutor’s Office finds elements that support the US requests or if, on the contrary, their inadmissibility is determined under the Mexican legal framework.
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