Former Sinaloa security chief in US court on cartel bribery charges
The former Secretary of Public Security for Mexico's Sinaloa state appeared in a US court on Friday on charges that he accepted bribes to help the Sinaloa Cartel smuggle drugs. SCMP reports 10 more Mexican officials are expected to surrender to US authorities.
Gerardo Merida Sanchez, 66, the former Secretary of Public Security for Mexico's Sinaloa state, appeared in federal court in Manhattan on Friday for his initial hearing. According to SCMP, prosecutors charge that Merida Sanchez accepted bribes to help the Sinaloa Cartel smuggle large quantities of drugs into the United States.
Prosecutors said 10 additional Mexican government and justice officials face US charges alongside Merida Sanchez and have agreed to surrender voluntarily. Sanchez was not required to enter a plea, was ordered jailed and is due back in court on June 1; he can request bail at a later date.
The case is one of the broadest US investigations to date targeting links between Mexican officials and the cartel. The defendants reportedly include senior prosecutors and police chiefs, and the arrests are part of the Trump administration's hardened drug-trafficking enforcement push.
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