Mexico Rejects US Extradition Request, ‘Unsubstantiated Charges Are Political’: President Sheinbaum

Kathmandu — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday rejected foreign interference in the country’s internal affairs after the United States requested the extradition of a state governor and nine other officials it accuses of arms and drug trafficking.

Speaking at her daily press conference, she said that given the absence of reasonable proof of wrongdoing, the accusations could be politically driven. “Defending sovereignty, as we have done so far, and the rule of law must be based on evidence,” she said, stressing that “We will not allow any foreign government to come and decide the future of the Mexican people.”

This marks the first time in the history of Mexico-US bilateral ties that Washington has accused a high-ranking official still in office from Mexico, namely Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha, of criminal activity, Sheinbaum said. Noting that Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office has opened a “parallel” investigation, she stated, “If there is no clear evidence, it is evident that the objective of these charges by the US Department of Justice is political.”

Evidence presented so far by US authorities consists of a notebook with handwritten notes identifying individuals by nicknames alongside amounts allegedly paid to them by drug traffickers. Bilateral ties have already been strained by the recent revelation that CIA agents have been conducting anti-narcotics operations on Mexican soil without the consent of the Mexican federal government. These developments come amid preliminary talks ahead of the scheduled review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement for free trade.