Mexican Sen. Téllez Accuses Sheinbaum Government of Shielding Narco-Politicians in US Fentanyl Indictments

Mexican Senator Lilly Téllez accused President Claudia Sheinbaum's government of protecting what she called "narco-politicians" after New York prosecutors unsealed indictments against 10 current and former Mexican officials for working with the Sinaloa Cartel to shield fentanyl trafficking operations.

Téllez made the claim Sunday on Fox & Friends Weekend. She said Sheinbaum refuses to hand over the indicted officials to the United States because she fears it could expose more alleged corruption.

"She's afraid that if she extradites to the United States these narco-politicians, there will be — the Pandora's box will be open, and many other narco-politicians will fall," Téllez said. "I mean, this government is not acting, is not responding to the rule of law, but to the rule of the mafia."

The senator called Mexico a "mafiocracy," or a mafia state. She described the recently unsealed indictment from the Southern District of New York as the most important accusation by the United States against a sitting Mexican government.

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton and Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terrance C. Cole announced the unsealing of the indictment on April 29. It charges Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya and nine others with drug trafficking and related weapons offenses.

Prosecutors allege the current and former high-ranking government and law enforcement officials partnered with the Sinaloa Cartel to distribute massive quantities of narcotics to the United States. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla.

Téllez insisted Sheinbaum was always lying to the Mexican people, most recently by stoking fears of a U.S. invasion. She accused the Mexican government of promoting a hate campaign against America.

Téllez appealed to Americans as neighbors and economic partners to pay attention to events south of the border. "The American people should know what is really happening," she said. "In Mexico, this is not the country you knew. This is a new regime. A regime in which authoritarian politicians, narco-politicians associated with cartels, financed by them, are ruling now."