The U.S. government has indicted the governor of Sinaloa state and nine other current and former Mexican officials on federal charges of conspiring with the Sinaloa Cartel to traffic drugs and weapons, according to an indictment filed in New York.

Prosecutors accused Governor Rubén Rocha Moya and the other officials of participating in a yearslong conspiracy to protect the powerful cartel's operations. The charges include drug trafficking and weapons offenses related to importing massive quantities of drugs into the United States.

The indictment represents a significant escalation in U.S. efforts to combat Mexican drug cartels by directly targeting high-level government officials allegedly involved in cartel operations. The Sinaloa Cartel is considered one of Mexico's most powerful criminal organizations.

Mexico has responded critically to the charges, pushing back against the U.S. indictment and questioning the evidence supporting the allegations against its officials. The diplomatic tensions highlight the sensitive nature of cross-border law enforcement cooperation in drug trafficking cases.

The charges mark a new front in the ongoing drug war between the United States and Mexican cartels, with U.S. authorities now directly targeting elected officials and government personnel they allege have facilitated cartel activities.