Gerardo Mérida Sánchez, the former Secretary of Public Security for Sinaloa, has obtained a judicial injunction to prevent his arrest or extradition to the United States. The ruling was issued by the Third District Court in Michoacán.
The legal measure comes in response to an arrest and extradition request filed by a New York court. The injunction aims to halt any actions intended to facilitate the transfer of the former official to the U.S. government.
According to reports from elportal eluniversal.com.mx, the judicial resolution stipulates that the suspension is applied automatically. The document states: “Based on Article 126 of the Law of Amparo, the extradition of the complainant, Gerardo Mérida Sánchez, is hereby suspended ex officio, as is any act tending to execute any order of provisional detention, seizure, localization, or any other act that could exist for the purpose of carrying out the extradition of the complainant to any foreign state, until the total resolution of this guarantee trial.”
Legal Status and Allegations
Judge Rafael Linares Rivera, head of the Third District Court in Michocán, has admitted the lawsuit for processing. The court order stipulates that Mérida Sánchez, a retired division general, must remain at the disposal of the judicial body only regarding his personal liberty.
Linares Rivera also requested that the responsible authorities submit their reports via electronic means. The judge warned that fines would be imposed if the authorities fail to comply with this requirement.
A constitutional hearing is scheduled for June 1. Until that date, the extradition order cannot be executed.
The case against Mérida Sánchez is linked to transnational security investigations. On April 29, the United States government identified several officials and former officials from Sinaloa for their alleged ties to the Sinaloa Cartel.
According to eluniversal.com.mx, those named by U.S. authorities include both Mérida Sánchez and the acting governor of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya.
