The Claudia Sheinbaum administration's demand for "irrefutable" proof before handing over a top elected politician to the U.S. over alleged drug cartel dealings reveals how the Mexican government applies a double standard in its stated battle against organized crime, experts say.

The United States unveiled an indictment on April 29 and requested the extradition of Rubén Rocha, at the time the sitting governor of Sinaloa, along with the mayor of state capital Culiacán, a Sinaloan senator and seven other former officials and law enforcement officers.

The Mexican government initially balked at the demand, saying that the U.S. did not provide any proof in its request that Rocha and the others be detained and processed for extradition.…