A little more than one day after having resumed his role as governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, accused drug trafficker Ruben Rocha Moya announced that he was stepping down indefinitely. The move came after the narco-politician sparked much infighting within Mexico’s ruling party MORENA. His move led most party members, including President Claudia Sheinbaum and all the governors, to turn their backs on him, claiming he was putting his personal interests ahead of the party’s well-being.

On Saturday night, Rocha Moya announced that he had taken indefinite leave from his post as Sinaloa governor, claiming that the party’s well-being was above all else. The politician stepped down a little more than 24 hours after resuming his post, following more than three months of leave, and at a time when he is still considered a fugitive of the U.S. Department of Justice.

As Breitbart Texas extensively reported, beginning in April, the U.S. DOJ announced a criminal indictment against Rocha Moya and nine of his closest allies in Sinaloa, accusing them of drug trafficking conspiracy and weapons charges for allegedly using their political positions while working for the Sinaloa Cartel. News of the indictment led to much tension between the U.S. and Mexican government since Sheinbaum initially publicly defended Rocha Moya, claiming that there was no evidence of wrongdoing and that making the indictment public was a political move by the U.S. far right aimed at damaging the MORENA party.

The case was reignited this week when Rocha Moya announced that he was returning to his position as governor and that he had cooperated with Mexican authorities in an effort to clear his name. The move by Rocha Moya sparked much outrage in Mexico. Soon after his announcement, Mexico’s Secretary of the Interior Rosa Isela Rodriguez stated that Rocha Moya had done things in a unilateral fashion and had not consulted with either Mexico’s government or the MORENA party.

Soon after, the MORENA party and then all the sitting state governors from the party issued separate statements distancing themselves from Rocha Moya, claiming that no one is above the best interests of the political movement. On Saturday morning, Sheinbaum herself issued a similar statement, turning her back on Rocha Moya as well.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected]. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].