Mexican governor wanted on US drug charges returns to job

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Mexican governor wanted on US drug charges returns to job

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Ruben Rocha Moya, an ally of President Claudia Sheinbaum who was indicted by the United States in April, repeated that he had "committed no crime" and was returning to office "with a clear conscience and head held high."

The US Justice Department charged Rocha Moya and nine others in April with colluding with the infamous Sinaloa Cartel to distribute drugs inside the United States and demanded their extraditions.

It was the first time the US had publicly charged a sitting Mexican politician.

Sheinbaum requested the US provide "irrefutable" evidence before acting against Rocha Moya, who is from her leftist Morena party.

The governor vehemently denied the allegations against him but took a leave of absence to fight the charges.

Last month, he denied he was in hiding amid reports that federal security forces had moved him to a secret location to evade capture in a potential US operation.

The Sinaloa Cartel, co-founded by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, is one of six Mexican drug gangs that US President Donald Trump has designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

Reporting originally appeared via Citizen Digital. Read the full source for additional context.