Former DEA agent calls for Rocha Moya transfer

Reporting and context

Former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Derek Maltz praised the capture of a suspect known as “El Tanque” in Mexico and said the United States should receive Mexican politicians he described as having alleged cartel ties, Azteca Noticias reported. Maltz made the comments in a social-media post recognizing the work of Mexico’s Security and Citizen Protection Secretary Omar García Harfuch and the personnel involved in the operation.

Maltz named Rubén Rocha Moya, the governor of Sinaloa, among the politicians he said had been identified in the United States over alleged links to cartels. He wrote that sending Rocha Moya and other politicians to the United States to face justice would be a major achievement in efforts against criminal organizations.

According to Azteca Noticias, Maltz did not provide additional details about the allegations against Rocha Moya or evidence of an extradition request in the post. The report presented the statement as Maltz’s proposal in the context of his praise for the operation; it did not establish a U.S. charge, extradition proceeding or finding against Rocha Moya. The source also quoted the post’s reference to politicians accused of supporting what Maltz called “terror cartels,” preserving that language as an attributed claim.