Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha, indicted by US federal prosecutors on drug-trafficking, bribery and cartel-protection charges, has again requested a leave of absence from office, days after defiantly reclaiming his post.

Rocha's return was not well received by either the Mexican government or the ruling Morena party, which accused him of prioritising his personal interests over those of the public.

Earlier on Saturday, President Claudia Sheinbaum warned on X that "power without principles becomes arrogance," intensifying the political firestorm.

"Mexico deserves public servants who understand that positions are temporary, but responsibility to the Nation is eternal."

Echoing her words, Rocha posted a statement on X saying that "Sinaloa, the nation, and the transformation movement are above all else."

Rocha, 77, a member of Sheinbaum's Morena party, returned to office on Friday after more than three months on leave following US drug-trafficking charges.

In April, US prosecutors alleged Rocha and nine other current and former officials conspired with a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel known as Los Chapitos, helping it to traffic drugs into the US in exchange for political support and bribes.

Washington's move marked a rare expansion of anti-cartel action beyond drug bosses to include a sitting senior Mexican politician. Rocha has described the US case as a politically motivated attack on Sheinbaum's movement.