Ex-Sinaloa State Security Official Arrested In US Drug Case

2026-05-15 08:06:51

(MENAFN- Live Mint) A former top security official for the Mexican state of Sinaloa is in US custody, facing charges over his alleged ties to a broad conspiracy to traffic illegal drugs into the US.

Gerardo Merida Sanchez, 66, Sinaloa's former Minister of Public Security appeared in a Manhattan federal court Friday for a five-minute hearing in which he pleaded not guilty to three felonies.

Merida Sanchez was charged last month along with Ruben Rocha Moya, 76, and eight other current and former officials with a variety of crimes. He's apparently the first official to be arrested in the case.

The former security official was arrested May 11 and appeared briefly in a court in Tucson, Arizona, before being sent to New York, according to court records. He's being held in the federal lockup in Brooklyn.

Merida Sanchez faces charges including conspiring to send narcotics to the US and possession of machine guns and destructive devices. If convicted, he faces the possibility of life in prison.

Mexico's security ministry said in a post on X that Merida Sanchez had entered the US via an official border-crossing point in Nogales, Arizona, where he was detained by US Marshals. Merida Sanchez's lawyer, Sarah Krissoff, declined to say whether he had surrendered to US authorities.

US prosecutors claim leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel helped get Rocha Moya elected by kidnapping and intimidating his rivals, in exchange for his promise to protect them while they distributed drugs into the US. Rocha Moya, who denied the allegations, is the most prominent Mexican official to be charged in the US since 2020.

Mexico said last month that the US had requested extradition of certain individuals, without offering proof of the allegations against them. The Foreign Ministry said the Attorney General would review the request.

The case is US v Guzman Salazar, 23-cr-180, US District Court, Southern District of New York.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

MENAFN15052026007365015876ID1111123401

Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.