How the Sons of Mexican Leaders Built an Empire of Corruption
A photo links Sinaloa governor's sons to AMLO's sons' friend, sparking controversy. The governor's sons face scrutiny for sudden wealth and alleged cartel ties. AMLO's sons are implicated in corruption scandals involving government contracts and the Mayan Train project.
In a country as accustomed to political scandals as Mexico, few things truly shock the public anymore. But the drama currently unfolding in the corridors of power in Sinaloa and the surrounding political sphere may prove an exception. It is a tale of sons living in the shadows of their fathers, of fortunes amassed with such dizzying speed that whispers of corruption and cartel connections swirl ever louder. Like the pages of a dark thriller, this story weaves together ambition, privilege, and the inevitable fall that comes when the allure of power collides with the chaos of cartel warfare.
It all began with a photograph. A seemingly innocuous image, two sons of Rubén Rocha Moya, the governor of Sinaloa, appear alongside a man whose name is now whispered in hushed tones: Amílcar Olán, alleged close friend of Andrés Manuel López Obrador's sons. This simple image, innocuous at first glance, has become the epicenter of a controversy that threatens to shake the foundations of Mexican politics. For as journalist Carlos Loret de Mola has chronicled, the fortunes of the Rocha sons—Ricardo and José de Jesús—have become the focus of federal investigations that span the offices of the Attorney General and the National Intelligence Center.
