During the night of last Monday, May 18, the Mexican Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) blocked the bank accounts of ten current and former officials of the state of Sinaloawhom the United States government accused of drug trafficking. However, so far, all those involved have denied the charges.
Faced with this scenario, the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit He noted that the decision was made with “character strictly preventive to protect the integrity” of the national financial system. “These measures do not imply the accreditation of responsibility any, but rather preventive actions of an administrative nature,” indicated the SHCP.
“Likewise, the people included in the List of Blocked People They have the means of defense and guarantees provided for in the applicable legislation, including the exercise of the guarantee of audienceas well as the possibility of asserting the administrative and jurisdictional resources that they deem appropriate,” added the Secretariat.
Under the circumstances, the American television network cnn reported that the blocking of accounts occurred three weeks after the United States Department of Justice made public an accusation against 10 current and former officials, to whom it attributes drug trafficking activities and links to the Sinaloa cartel.
Those accused by the US
Most of those charged by the US Department of Justice are commanders police. However, among those indicated that they reject The accusations include the governor of Sinaloa, Ruben Rocha; the senator Enrique Inzunza; the former state finance secretary, Enrique Diaz; and the former Secretary of Security, Gerardo Merida.
According to what was stated by the United States Department of Justice, the 10 defendants were allied with the Sinaloa cartel, one of the organizations criminals most powerful transnational corporations in the world, to import large quantities of narcotics to the United States and Canada through a complex grid international drug trafficking.
Given this situation, a few days after the United States accusation became known, the governor of SinaloaRubén Rocha, requested leave to temporarily separate from his position and facilitate the investigations against him, while insisting that it is innocent and that he will attend to every request that the authorities.
On the other hand, the former Secretary of Security, Gerardo Merida Sanchezwas detained by US authorities while trying to enter the state of Arizona on Tuesday, May 12. He is currently imprisoned in New York, where he will have a new court hearing on Monday. 1 June for his alleged links to drug trafficking.
The ten accused of links to drug trafficking
Acting:
- Rubén Rocha Moya – Governor of Sinaloa
- Enrique Inzunza Cázarez – Senator of the Republic
- Juan de Dios Gámez Mendívil – Mayor of Culiacán, Sinaloa
- Dámaso Castro Zaavedra – Vice Prosecutor of Sinaloa
Out of office:
- Enrique Díaz Vega – Former Secretary of Finance of Sinaloa
- Marco Antonio Almanza Aviles – Former Chief of the Sinaloa Investigative Police
- Alberto Jorge Contreras Núñez – Former Chief of the Sinaloa Investigative Police
- Gerardo Mérida Sánchez – Former Secretary of Public Security of Sinaloa
- José Antonio Dionisio Hipólito – Former deputy director of the Sinaloa State Police
- Juan Valenzuela Millán – Former Commander of the Municipal Police of Culiacán, Sinaloa