US charges Mexican governor and other leaders with aiding drug cartel

US charges Cuba's Raúl Castro with murder over 1996 downing of two planes

US charges Cuba's Raúl Castro with murder over 1996 downing of two planes3 hours agoKayla Epstein, Cecilia Barría & Pascal FletcherBBC News, BBC Mundo & BBC MonitoringReutersThe US has charged former Cuban leader Raúl Castro with conspiracy to kill US nationals and other crimes over the downing of two planes between Cuba and Florida in 1996.The case unveiled on Wednesday – a revival of charges originally from 2003 – accuses Castro and five others in the shooting down of an aircraft belonging to Cuban American group Brothers to the Rescue and killing four people, including three Americans.Castro, now 94, was the head of the country's armed forces and faced international condemnation over the crash.As the US seeks to exert increasing pressure on Cuba's communist rule, President Miguel Díaz-Canel called the charges "a political manoeuvre, devoid of any legal foundation".Speaking at Freedom Tower in Miami, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced that the US would also charge Castro with destruction of aircraft, and four individual counts of murder over the deaths of Armando Alejandre Jr,

Carlos Alberto Costa, Mario Manuel de la Peña, and Pablo Morales."The United States, and President Trump, does not, and will not, forget its citizens," Blanche said.The justice department's new charges take aim at a key figurehead of Cuba's communist leadership when it is facing intense US pressure to make significant political and economic reforms to its one-party rule there."I think the strategy is to increase the pressure gradually to the point where the Cuban government will give in and surrender at the bargaining table," said Wiliam LeoGrand, a expert on Latin American politics at American University.The US has issued sanctions on the country and imposed a blockade on oil to Cuba that has resulted in blackouts and food shortages.Earlier on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a message to the Cuban people timed to the country's independence day."President Trump is offering a new path between the US and a new Cuba," Rubio said.Rubio told citizens of the island that a Cuban military-run conglomerate known as GAESA is primarily responsible for the blackouts and food shortages that the country continues to endure.GAESA owns or operates most of the lucrative parts of the Cuban economy from the ports to the petrol pumps to 5-star hotels.In response to Rubio's message, Díaz-Canel accused the US of lying and imposing a collective punishment on the Cuban people.Getty ImagesActing US Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the charges in Miami.Díaz-Canel also said that the indictment of Castro was being used to "justify the folly of a military aggression against Cuba" and accused the US of distorting the facts around the downing of the plane.He claimed that Cuba acted in "legitimate self-defence within its jurisdictional waters".Asked by reporters about the prospects of bringing Castro to the US to face charges, Blanche responded that there was a warrant for his arrest."We expect he will show up here, by his own will or another way," he said.Nearly 95 years old, Castro remains an influential figure, acknowledged on the island as the surviving "leader of the Cuban Revolution". He has relinquished his active government and party roles, but during his 2008-2018 presidency, he and former US president Barack Obama presided over a short-lived thaw in Washington-Havana relations.Blanche said he would "not compare cases" between Castro's and that of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.In January, the US staged a military operation to seize Maduro and bring him to the US, after the justice department indicted him.US President Donald Trump was asked about the political aspect of the indictment."A lot of those people are related to me in the sense that I've had such a great relationship with Cuban-Americans," Trump said. "On a humanitarian basis, we're here to help."Cuba unlikely to bow without a fightGetty ImagesRaúl Castro and his brother

US charges Cuba's Raúl Castro with murder over 1996 downing of two planes

Mexican officials announce 10 dead in early-morning shooting in Tehuitzingo

Officials blamed the shooting on ‘armed individuals’, though no details were provided about the attackers or their motives.The government in the Mexican state of Puebla has confirmed the deaths of 10 people in an early-morning shooting in the city of Tehuitzingo.On Sunday, the state government identified the victims as six men, three women and a minor, though no names were offered.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum denies reports of CIA operations against cartelslist 2 of 3Ex-Sinaloa security chief in Mexico arrested in US over alleged cartel tieslist 3 of 3Mexico teachers threaten World Cup disruption over payend of listIt added that the victims “were allegedly attacked by armed individuals” at a residence. No arrests have been announced as of mid-morning, and the motive for the attack remains unclear.Separately, the state Attorney General’s Office announced it had opened an investigation into the shooting, which comes as Mexico prepares to co-host the FIFA World Cup in less than a month.“According to initial reports, municipal police officers went to the property after receiving a request for assistance from a citizen who observed people apparently without vital signs,” the statement said.“Upon arriving at the residence, authorities located several people with gunshot wounds. A woman died en route while being transported for medical attention.”Tehuitzingo, a city of around 11,300 inhabitants, sits roughly 208 kilometres or 130 miles south of the country’s capital, Mexico City.Local media reports indicate the shooting happened around 1:55am local time (6:55 GMT), when neighbours heard gunfire.Officials have pledged a multi-pronged response to the attack, with the participation of the National Guard, the state Attorney General’s Office and state and local police, as well as “intelligence, analysis and inter-institutional coordination efforts”.Mexico’s ability to combat violent crime has been under the microscope in recent months, as it faces pressure from the United States and heightened scrutiny ahead of the World Cup.Kickoff for the football tournament is set to take place on June 11 in Mexico City, where the inaugural game will see the host country face South Africa.In the lead-up to the match, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has pledged to bolster security, including through the deployment of 100,000 security personnel, composed of National Guard troops, police officers and employees from private security firms.Mexico is slated to host 13 matches in three host cities: Monterrey, Mexico City and Guadalajara. But high-profile acts of violence have raised questions about safety ahead of the event.In April, a gunman killed one Canadian tourist and injured 13 others at Teotihuacan, a pre-Colombian city and UNESCO World Heritage site near Mexico City whose pyramids have long attracted tourists.And before that, in February, a wave of violence broke out in the country after Mexican forces killed cartel leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, a member of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).Mexico has long struggled with cartel violence, a problem critics say has been abetted by corruption within government and law enforcement.The administration of US President Donald Trump has suggested it may even take unilateral action on Mexican soil, despite Sheinbaum’s warnings that such an attack would be considered a violation of her country’s sovereignty.“The Mexican cartels are fuelling and orchestrating much of the bloodshed and chaos in this hemisphere, and the United States government will do whatever’s necessary to defend our national security,” Trump said in March.Mexico experienced a decline in homicides in 2025, down 19.8 percent over the preceding year, according to the nonprofit Insight Crime.But critics warn that the decrease is complicated by the high rate of disappearances in the country.

Federal authorities arrest 18 for alleged drug distribution around Los Angeles park

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents alongside other law enforcement officers work the scene near MacArthur Park after federal authorities made arrests on charges related to selling illicit drugs on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Los Angeles.

Jae C. Hong/AP

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Jae C. Hong/AP

LOS ANGELES — Federal authorities said they arrested 18 people Wednesday on charges related to selling illicit drugs including fentanyl and methamphetamine around a Los Angeles park.

The area, called MacArthur Park, is a densely populated immigrant neighborhood west of downtown LA where federal immigration authorities and the National Guard made a brief but mighty show of force last summer.

In this week's raids, authorities seized 40 pounds (18 kilograms) of fentanyl from a single home, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Two of the people arrested, a couple from South Los Angeles, are believed to be the main sources of those drugs sold in the park, which were stashed in a storefront and distributed to street-level dealers, authorities said.

"We're here today because California policy has failed," First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said during a news conference announcing the arrests. "MacArthur Park should be for families, should be for residents of Los Angeles, not for drug dealers and gangsters."

Essayli announced the arrests alongside officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Los Angeles Police Department in the park. It has drawn numerous homeless encampments and has been the site of open-air drug use in recent years.

While one portion of MacArthur Park is often busy with families picnicking, kids playing soccer and vendors hawking food and toys, another side regularly features people lighting up pipes and outreach teams treating people with drug addiction. The park and its surrounding areas are part of heavily contested gang territory, federal officials say.

Law enforcement vehicles are seen near MacArthur Park after federal authorities made arrests on charges related to selling illicit drugs on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Los Angeles.

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Jae C. Hong/AP

According to a criminal complaint, South LA couple Mallaly Moreno-Lopez and Jackson Tarfur serve as one of the main sources of drugs distributed in the area, generally on behalf of the 18th Street Gang. The two allegedly hand-delivered narcotics to a storefront on the Alvarado corridor, a street that serves as the eastern border of the park where many drug transactions would take place.

The other defendants in the complaint were surveilled and caught selling drugs to undercover federal agents.

Moreno-Lopez and Tarfur have not been assigned attorneys in court yet and could not be reached for comment.

Aerial TV news footage showed agents gathered outside a strip of businesses across from the park, with one appearing to use a chain saw to cut through a business's wall. Essayli posted video on the social platform X of LAPD officers assisting with the effort and a home in a residential neighborhood being raided.

Essayli, an appointee of President Donald Trump, said the area's struggles are a result of failed California policies including lax consequences for drug users and programs that involve handing out clean needles and Narcan, a life-saving emergency medication for fentanyl overdose.

Wednesday's operation involved more than 200 personnel from the DEA, said Anthony Chrysanthis, special agent in charge of the department in Los Angeles.

Essayli said the operation began Tuesday night, with three warrants executed in the morning at residences in other locations in Southern California. Six warrants were served at businesses found to be selling narcotics in MacArthur Park.

Investigators have targeted the Sinaloa Cartel as the suppliers for fentanyl and methamphetamine in the area, Chrysanthis said.

The defendants are set to appear in court Thursday. Seven others remain fugitives, Essayli's office

US charges Mexican governor and other leaders with aiding drug cartel

9 minutes agoWill GrantBBC's Mexico, Central America and Cuba correspondentGetty ImagesUS prosecutors have accused the sitting governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, Rúben Rocha Moya, of conspiring with cartel drug traffickers. Moya, who hails from the party of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, is charged alongside nine other current and former Mexican government officials.In response, the Mexican government released a statement saying the US documents requesting the group's arrest and potential extradition lacked sufficient evidence.There have long been allegations against Rocha, who is governor of a state where the powerful Sinaloa Cartel is based. The organisation is embroiled in a violent conflict between two factions. He "categorically" denied any wrongdoing. The indictment, released in New York on Wednesday, claims the elected leaders "conspired with leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel to import massive quantities of narcotics into the United States in exchange for political support and bribes".Moya is accused of having ties to the notorious Sinaloa Cartel and has been indicted over allegedly abusing his position as governor to protect one faction of the cartel, known as Los Chapitos. "The Sinaloa Cartel is not just trafficking deadly drugs, it is a designated terrorist organization that relies on corruption and bribery to drive violence and profit," said DEA Administrator Terrance Cole.He added that the group "used positions of trust to protect cartel operations, enabling a pipeline of deadly drugs into our country".US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton said in the statement: "As the indictment lays bare, the Sinaloa cartel, and other drug trafficking organisations like it, would not operate as freely or successfully without corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials on their payroll."The indictment also included nine other current and former Mexican officials, including a high-ranking policeman, a senator and a mayor.However, the Mexican Foreign Ministry said that the documents received from the US embassy lacked the necessary evidence – or, as the statement put it, "do not include the elements of proof" – against those whose arrest and eventual extradition was being requested. The final decision would lie with the Attorney General's office, the statement added.Mexican authorities later announced their own investigation to determine if "the accusation made by US authorities has legal grounds," attorney general spokesperson Ulises Lara said in a video posted to social media.The governor himself denied the drug charges "categorically and absolutely"."This attack isn't only against me, it's against the Fourth Transformation," Moya said in a statement on X, referring to the political project of Mexico's governing party.The US indictment against a sitting governor in Mexico – one from the ruling party – is very rare in the bilateral relationship and represents a significant headache for President Sheinbaum.

The indictment is the latest step in an aggressive strategy by the Trump Administration to clamp down on drug cartels and official corruption in Mexico.

US charges Mexican governor and other leaders with aiding drug cartel

US charges Cuba's Raúl Castro with murder over 1996 downing of two planes

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Mexican officials announce 10 dead in early-morning shooting in Tehuitzingo

Federal authorities arrest 18 for alleged drug distribution around Los Angeles park