“Waves of accusations are coming.” Judge Katherine Polk warned that more officials are in the crosshairs of U.S. prosecutors, including investigations implicating the Sinaloa state government.
New York, United States – Former Sinaloa Secretary of Public Security, Gerardo Mérida Sánchez, appeared Monday for his first hearing before federal judge Katherine Polk, to be formally presented as part of the criminal proceedings he faces abroad.
The former state official is accused by the Department of Justice of maintaining alleged ties to the Los Chapitos faction, the criminal group led by the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
The legal session began in the courtroom of the Southern District Court of New York, where the former secretary appeared with a chain attached to his ankles and declined to make any statements to the prosecutors.
During the court proceedings, it was detailed that the retired general could seek a cooperation agreement with U.S. authorities to obtain significant procedural benefits.
Among these legal resources are a substantial reduction in his sentence or even a new identity, should his formal participation as a protected witness materialize.
The judge in the case issued a strong warning, stating that “waves of accusations are coming,” referring to the ten officials implicated in links to organized crime.
Among the political figures under investigation by U.S. prosecutors is Rubén Rocha Moya, who is currently serving as the governor on leave from the state of Sinaloa.
The former military officer’s extradition to the United States occurred on May 11, when he left Mexico from Hermosillo, Sonora, and entered the country through the Arizona border.
Following his arrest, he was immediately taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, a maximum-security federal prison where he shares a cell with high-profile drug lords.
In that same prison module are incarcerated Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, and Rafael Caro Quintero, former leader of the Guadalajara and Caborca cartels.
Twelve days before his voluntary surrender, Gerardo Mérida was formally charged in a New York court for allegedly receiving cash bribes in exchange for providing institutional protection.
Investigations indicate that he used his position at the Public Security Secretariat to provide advance warnings of federal raids on drug labs in the state.
These warnings occurred primarily in 2023, allowing for the evacuation of illicit substances and personnel in at least 10 operations, as well as ordering that members of that faction not be arrested.
According to the official Justice Department file, the former official accepted more than $100,000 a month in cash from the criminal organization. The three charges are:
Conspiracy to import narcotics.
Possession of machine guns and explosive devices.
Conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
If convicted on all three federal charges, Gerardo Mérida Sánchez could face a minimum sentence of 40 years in prison or life imprisonment.
Source: diariodemorelos
