EL PAÍS

Sinaloa governor, subject of US investigation, stands alone under allegations of cartel ties

Elia Castillo Jiménez — Tue, 19 May 2026 10:12:54 +0000

The political crisis in the Mexican state of Sinaloa has begun to shift the landscape within the ruling party, Morena. The accusations made by U.S. authorities against Rubén Rocha Moya, the governor of Sinaloa who has been granted a temporary leave of absence, and nine current and former officials in his inner circle, allegedly linked to the Sinaloa Cartel, have set off alarm bells within the ruling party and prompted a quiet but profound shift in its political strategy. The directive is no longer to close ranks, but rather to stand firm in defense of sovereignty as a rhetorical device to navigate the controversy that has damaged the credibility of the ruling party and its moral message of not lying, not stealing, and not betraying, a message inherited from Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

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Mexico’s slow and steady return to fracking

Zedryk Raziel, Elia Castillo Jiménez — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has unequivocally announced her government’s openness to “fracking” — or hydraulic fracturing — to extract natural gas from the subsoil, with the aim of reducing imports of this resource from the United States. The announcement comes after months of subtle moves and carefully worded statements meant to prepare the ground without sparking major controversy.

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How El Mencho evaded justice over the course of the last decade

Elia Castillo Jiménez — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 10:34:29 +0000

The capture of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, aka “El Mencho,” was a long-sought goal for Mexico, one that seemed impossible to achieve for over a decade. The leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) became the most elusive drug kingpin, he was also wanted by the United States, and yet he managed to evade military cordons, federal deployments and intelligence operations that, at various times, brought him within striking distance of his arrest. Finally, he was killed this Sunday in an operation that concludes one of the longest and most complex manhunts against a Mexican drug lord.

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The debate over fracking in Mexico: Energy sovereignty versus environmental risk

Elia Castillo Jiménez, Zedryk Raziel, Karina Suárez Rodríguez — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 04:00:00 +0000

The government of Claudia Sheinbaum has decided to make a radical shift and change the course of Mexico’s energy policy in favor of fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, a technique that was banned for six years by her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

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Imelda Castro, the woman who wants to rule the cartel battleground of Sinaloa

Elia Castillo Jiménez — Fri, 02 Jan 2026 10:11:13 +0000

Twenty years ago, during one of his many tours across Mexico to campaign for the presidency, former Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador stopped his vehicle in the middle of a baseball game at Los Torres Stadium in El Fuerte, a town in northeastern Sinaloa. The Tabasco native, known for his love of the sport, surprised his entourage. “Stop, stop, stop!” he shouted, getting out and alerting his companions. Imelda Castro Castro, 57, now a senator with Morena — the political party founded by López Obrador — was part of that group.

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Sheinbaum prepares emergency investment plan with business sector to stem economic downturn

Elia Castillo Jiménez, Karina Suárez Rodríguez — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 10:33:52 +0000

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is accelerating efforts to forge a “grand national agreement” with the business sector to revive an economy showing clear signs of weakness. Despite a “cool head” approach to the United States and the Mexico Plan, the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 0.3% due to a decline in industrial activity and decreases in consumption, as well as in public and private investment. With these warning signs, the president is urgently seeking an emergency plan with the private sector to reactivate joint ventures in infrastructure, housing construction, and connectivity. In line with this plan, Sheinbaum met this Monday at the National Palace with the country’s wealthiest man, Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim. For more than two hours, the president and the owner of the telecom América Móvil discussed, behind closed doors, the main obstacles to stimulating investment in the country. Following the meeting, which was also attended by the president of the Business Coordinating Council (CCE), Francisco Cervantes, Sheinbaum briefly reported on her social media that the meeting addressed the “good forecasts” for the economy in 2025 and 2026.

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Mexico’s futile fight against arms trafficking: ‘Trump is reducing the ability to stop illicit weapons reaching the cartels’

Elia Castillo Jiménez, Patricia San Juan — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 11:37:16 +0000

The security tensions between Mexico and the United States marking the second Trump era appear to stem from Mexico’s failings, according to the logic of the rarely self-reflective northern neighbor. Fentanyl and migration are a problem, but arms trafficking is not. The U.S. sends around 200,000 weapons to Mexico each year, according to analysts’ estimates, a figure that demonstrates the lack of interest in combating illegal arms sales, much of which are destined for the drug cartels that have been classified as terrorist organizations by the Republican president himself.

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The unanswered questions in the Julio César Chávez Jr. case

Elia Castillo Jiménez — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 16:41:45 +0000

“Thank you, president, thank you for stepping into the ring against addiction,” said Julio César Chávez, the five-time boxing champion and national icon in Mexico, to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum during the morning press conference on March 28, where a mass boxing class aimed at deterring drug use was announced.

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Lawyers for drug lords and sexual abuse suspects are one step away from becoming judges in Mexico

Elia Castillo Jiménez — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 10:41:57 +0000

The results of the judicial election in Mexico have sparked controversy due to a handful of highly questionable winners. At least 13 candidates who were chosen in a direct vote by citizens have backgrounds that could jeopardize their victory. The candidates in question have been exposed by experts, electoral advisors and social organizations for their ties to organized crime, fuel theft, trafficking, torture, harassment, femicide, sexual violence and malpractice in public service. Even so, all 13 are just one step away from becoming federal and local judges and magistrates following Mexico’s overhaul of the judiciary from an appointment-based system to one of direct vote by the people.

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Mexico’s judicial reform: The win for López Obrador that’s mortally wounded the opposition

Elia Castillo Jiménez — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 17:46:25 +0000

The Mexican opposition has been mortally wounded after the Senate approved on Tuesday a judicial reform, under which judges will be elected by popular vote. The opposition parties National Action Party (PAN), Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and Citizens’ Movement (MC) lost the first and most important of legislative battle of Mexico’s 66th Legislature, in what was a definitive test of their strength after the June 2 election.

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