DEA director Terrance Cole warned that the allegations against Sinaloa's on-license governor Rubén Rocha Moya “are just the beginning of what is to come in Mexico,” during an appearance before the U.S. Senate.

The statement occurred after Republican Senator John Kennedy questioned Cole about the accusations presented in April against Rocha Moya and other officials nominated for alleged ties to the Sinaloa Cartel.

During the hearing, Cole stated that “there is no doubt” that drug traffickers and higher Mexican officials “have been involved”for years”, and assured that US authorities are now paying greater attention to those connections.

Likewise, he affirmed that Mexican officials who collaborate with criminal organizations are equally responsible for the deaths caused by drug trafficking to the United States.

“They are equally responsible for the death and destruction of record numbers of Americans by cooperating, conspiring, and helping to produce this poison to cross the border,” he declared.

The official also pointed out that the investigations are part of a strategy to attack the command structures of the cartels, interrupt their supply chains and persecute those who facilitate their operations from the political or institutional level.

The DEA statements occur in the bilateral tension between Mexico and the United States following the accusation presented by US prosecutors against Rocha Moya, who is indicated as allegedly receiving support and protection from the Sinaloa Cartel.