MEXICO CITY, Mexico: The U.S. Justice Department this week charged the governor of Mexico's Sinaloa state, ‌Ruben Rocha Moya, and other officials with alleged involvement with the Sinaloa Cartel.

This was seen as a significant escalation of U.S. anti-cartel action that could raise tensions between the United States and Mexico.

The Justice Department said Moya and others are accused of working with leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel to bring large amounts of drugs into the U.S. in return for political support and bribes.

Charges against senior Mexican politicians who are still in office are very rare. The case against Moya suggests the U.S. is widening its fight against cartels, going beyond crime bosses to also target politicians.

The U.S. has sent an extradition request for Moya, but special prosecutor and government spokesperson Ulises Lara said he would analyze the documentation received from the U.S. to assess the request's viability.

Moya's case creates a challenge for President Claudia Sheinbaum, as both belong to the ruling Morena party. Moya is also close to her predecessor and mentor, former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said the charges should send a strong message that officials anywhere in the world who work with drug traffickers will be held accountable, no matter their position.

Reuters had earlier reported that the U.S. was pressuring Mexico to investigate politicians suspected of links to organized crime.

Moya denied the accusations, saying they were an attack on Mexico's ruling political movement. He also said in a post on X that the claims had no truth or basis and would be proven false.

Mexico's foreign ministry said it had received several extradition requests from the U.S., but they did not include enough evidence. The Attorney General's Office said it had started an investigation to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to issue arrest warrants under Mexican law.

According to the Justice Department, Moya became governor of Sinaloa in 2021 with help from a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel led by the sons of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, known as "Los Chapitos." Authorities said this group kidnapped and threatened his rivals in return for Moya allowing them to operate freely and send drugs to the United States.

The charges come shortly after the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Ronald Johnson, promised action against corruption.

Others charged include current and former state officials, as well as a mayor and a former police commander from Culiacán, a city heavily affected by drug violence.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico said that any corruption that supports organized crime and harms both countries will be investigated and prosecuted wherever U.S. law applies.