Sinaloa Sees Surge in Homicides, Extortion Under Governor Rocha Moya's Watch

The recent statistics revealing a dramatic surge in homicides and extortion during Governor Rubén Rocha Moya's tenure paint a grim picture for Sinaloa. The numbers, showing a more than threefold increase in victims between 2021 and 2025, are alarming and underscore a deepening security crisis.

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the license granted by the state Congress to the Morenista governor represents challenges for the federal government, as well as for Sinaloan society, because with such questioned and delegitimized institutions it is not possible to exercise any type of authority.

Independent analysts like Armando Rodríguez Luna highlight that the governor's temporary leave of absence, granted by the state Congress, complicates matters further. He argues that with already questioned and delegitimized institutions, exercising authority becomes nearly impossible, necessitating greater federal intervention in governance, security, and justice to ensure stability.

Francisco Rivas Rodríguez, director of the National Citizen Observatory, goes as far as to suggest that Rocha Moya might be remembered as Sinaloa's worst governor. The pervasive sense of insecurity, he notes, restricts movement within the state, with residents acutely aware of which areas are safe and which are not.

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a much more important federal intervention is required in these areas: government, security, and justice, to guarantee the stability of the state.

Adding a layer of international concern, Dr. Arlene Ramírez Uresti of the Universidad Iberoamericana posits that Governor Rocha Moya's departure might be a gesture by the Mexican government to appease the United States' concerns and ensure due process. This perspective suggests that Mexico is sensitive to external pressures regarding its internal security situation, particularly from its powerful neighbor.

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And that makes it a more vulnerable point for a possible military intervention by the United States, in the style of Venezuela with Nicolás Maduro… They already did it with Ismael El Mayo Zambada in a more clandestine way, in the style of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), when they took him away.

From a local perspective in Sinaloa, these developments are not just statistics but a daily reality impacting citizens' lives. The perceived failure of state leadership to curb escalating violence raises serious questions about the effectiveness of current security strategies and the future stability of the region. The potential for increased federal oversight, or even external scrutiny, reflects the gravity of the situation.

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Rocha Moya will probably go down in history as the worst governor of Sinaloa.