Mexico denies military escort for ex‑governor Rubén Rocha Moya

On 24 July 2026 Mexico’s Security Cabinet posted on its official X account that a viral video claiming former Sinaloa governor Rubén Rocha Moya was traveling in an army‑assigned convoy in Culiacán was false. The post clarified that the vehicle shown belonged to the state’s public‑security secretary, General Sinuhé Téllez López, and that the footage was captured on 23 July 2026 after a Security Cabinet meeting while the convoy was moving from the government palace to the 9th Military Zone. The cabinet urged the public to verify information before sharing it and reiterated that no special military protection has been provided to Rocha Moya.

The denial follows an earlier statement on 9 July that Rocha Moya was not being sheltered inside a military installation. It comes amid accusations by the U.S. Department of Justice, announced in April, that Rocha Moya and nine other officials were allegedly linked to the Los Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. Separate footage released later showed Rocha Moya at a social gathering in Badiraguato, but authorities have not confirmed any dedicated security detail for that event.