Dámaso Castro resigns as Sinaloa deputy prosecutor

Reporting and context

Dámaso Castro Saavedra has resigned as Sinaloa’s deputy prosecutor after taking leave in May, state prosecutor Claudia Zulema confirmed on November 11, according to El País México. Castro, 54, is among 10 Sinaloa officials accused by U.S. authorities in April of links to organized crime.

Zulema said Castro submitted his resignation the previous Thursday. José Roberto Quiñónez has been serving as acting deputy prosecutor since Castro began a six-month leave and remains in that role. Her statement concerned who was running the office.

El País reported that the U.S. accusations against Castro include drug trafficking and possession of weapons and explosives. The allegations were announced by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

According to the accusations described by El País, Castro received about US$11,000 a month, approximately 205,000 pesos, from Los Chapitos, the Sinaloa Cartel faction led by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s sons. In exchange, prosecutors alleged, he protected members from arrest and alerted them to planned police operations supported by the United States.

The Mexican government and federal Attorney General’s Office criticized the accusations when they were announced, saying the allegations lacked evidence of culpability, the newspaper reported. At least two of the accused officials have surrendered to U.S. authorities in the United States.

The same case included allegations against former governor Rubén Rocha Moya. El País reported that he initially took leave, announced a return in August and later resigned while maintaining his innocence. The newspaper placed the political controversy against the backdrop of the conflict between Los Mayos and Los Chapitos in Sinaloa, with Culiacán a principal battleground.

Original reporting: El País México.