Sinaloa Deputy Prosecutor Quits Over US Case

Mexico Security

Dámaso Castro Zaavedra, the deputy attorney general of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, has resigned after US prosecutors charged him with helping Los Chapitos, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel led by the sons of the jailed drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. State Attorney General Claudia Zulema Sánchez Kondo said he submitted his resignation on Thursday 5 November 2026, ending six months of unpaid leave.

Sinaloa is the home state of the cartel that carries its name. The charges came from federal prosecutors in New York, so the case tests how far Mexico and the United States will cooperate against officials accused of cartel ties.

What Happened in Sinaloa

Sánchez Kondo, who heads the Sinaloa state prosecutor’s office, said this week that Castro Zaavedra gave up the post on 5 November. He had asked for six months of unpaid leave on Tuesday 5 May, and the office put José Roberto Quiñónez Coronado in charge of the deputy’s office from then on.

No permanent replacement has been announced. Quiñónez Coronado was sworn in as acting head of the office in May, and the state has announced no change.

The US Charges Behind the Resignation

In late April 2026, the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the federal prosecutors’ office in Manhattan, charged 10 current and former Mexican officials. They include Rubén Rocha Moya, Sinaloa’s governor, who took leave in May, and Castro Zaavedra.

US prosecutors allege that some of the officials gave protection and information to Los Chapitos, and that Castro Zaavedra received monthly payments in return. After the charges became public, he appeared before the Fiscalía General de la República (FGR), Mexico’s federal prosecutor’s office, in Culiacán on 26 May.

Why It Matters for US Readers

The resignation ends a six-month limbo in which a charged official still formally held his job. It does not settle the charges, which remain allegations, and no verdict has been reported.

None of the official economic figures we track for Mexico bears directly on this case, so we do not force one in. The wider picture of Mexican politics is on our Mexico page, and our report on Sinaloa’s homicide figures shows the security backdrop.

What Is Not Known

It is not known whether Castro Zaavedra will face charges in Mexico or whether the United States will seek his extradition. As of 12 November, the state has not said when it will name a permanent deputy attorney general, and Castro Zaavedra has not been tried.

One checkpoint matters: that appointment, for which no date has been given. The charges are allegations, and a court has not tested them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Dámaso Castro Zaavedra?

He was the deputy attorney general of Sinaloa, a state on Mexico’s Pacific coast. US prosecutors named him in charges filed in April 2026, which are allegations.

When did he resign?

He submitted his resignation on Thursday 5 November 2026, the state attorney general said. It ended an unpaid leave that began on 5 May.

Has he been convicted of anything?

No. The US charges are allegations, and no verdict has been reported.

Sources

Sinaloa Attorney General Claudia Zulema Sánchez Kondo, remarks of 11 November 2026; US Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York, press release on the charges against the Sinaloa governor and nine other officials. Photo: Basilio Briceño (CC BY 2.0) via Wikimedia Commons.