By Evaristo Angulo Lara
Yeraldine Bonilla Valverde was appointed interim governor of Sinaloa replacing Rubén Rocha, who was accused by US authorities of alleged links to drug trafficking.
Wednesday of this weekJay Clayton, federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York, and Terrance C. Cole, administrator of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), formally accused Rubén Rocha Moya, governor of Sinaloa, and other officials of his administration and former high-ranking officials of having alleged ties to drug trafficking,
“To protect and expand this drug trafficking empire, the Cartel has allegedly allied itself with corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials, including the defendants, who have abused their authority in support of the Cartel, exposed victims and subjected them to threats and violence, and sold their positions in exchange for large bribes,” says part of the indictment published by the United States Attorney’s Office.
Despite this, Rocha Moya said he had the support of Claudia Sheinbaum, president of Mexico, and mentioned that he would continue to lead the Sinaloa government, since it was all a baseless accusation.
However, due to the seriousness of the crimes with which he was accused, he ended up requesting leave to separate from his position as state leader.
Today Sinaloa is experiencing a historic moment. @YeralBonillaV protested before Brother @congresosinaloa as the first female governor, assuming the responsibility of working for the well-being of Sinaloan families.
With an outstanding career in public service and… pic.twitter.com/1GFRbnSocL
— Government of the State of Sinaloa (@sinaloagobmx) Could well well 2, 2026
Faced with the need to find someone to replace him, Bonilla Valverde—who joined the state cabinet as government secretary six months ago—ended up becoming the first woman to govern an entity that has been identified as one of the largest drug production points in the world for several six-year terms.
33 of the 40 members of the Legislative Branch supported with their vote the nomination of the social work graduate who, as a member of the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA), will have the complex mission of dealing with organized crime in one of the most violent states in Mexico.
“The people of Sinaloa must maintain the security that the principles and public policies that have given meaning to the governments of the Fourth Transformation will remain in force during my administration,” he stated. the 33-year-old politician.
However, her appointment as interim president may not be longer than 30 days, unless the local Congress decides to extend her period.
Irma Moreno, deputy of the National Action Party (PAN), pointed out that Sinaloa’s problems of frequently being under the shadow of drug cartels will not be resolved by replacing a MORENA governor with another member of his cabinet and from the same political party.
“Appointing someone from the same group does not solve the crisis, it aggravates it,” he warned.
Keep reading:
• The governor of Sinaloa is granted a temporary license to leave office and is replaced by Yeraldine Bonilla
• Governor of Sinaloa claims to have presidential support against the accusation that links him to drug trafficking
• US Government accuses the governor of Sinaloa for alleged links to drug trafficking
