The deaths of two CIA agents in April after a drug lab operation in northern Mexico have led to treason charges against a former Chihuahua state attorney general MEXICO CITY -- The deaths of two CIA agents in April following an operation to dismantle a drug lab in northern Mexico have led to the unusual federal charge of “treason” against a former Chihuahua state attorney general. He is also accused in state court of “illegal exercise of public office.” The defendant, César Jáuregui, is being held in pretrial detention at a maximum-security prison for allegedly authorizing the agents’ participation in the operation. President Claudia Sheinbaum said her administration neither authorized it nor was informed of it.
A state judge will determine Thursday whether to initiate the trial in Chihuahua courts on state charges. The federal judge will decide on Saturday — one week after his arrest — whether or not to indict him in the separate case for treason. The deaths of the U.S. officials in an opposition-led state fueled speculation about the scope of the Trump administration’s actions on Mexican soil.
It also called into question Sheinbaum's strong defense of national sovereignty and her refusal to arrest a former governor from her own party accused of drug trafficking by the United States. According to Héctor Villasana, one of Jáuregui's defense attorneys, the prosecution’s argument is that an “exemplary punishment” against his client was necessary to prevent a situation in which “the United States could carry out an action similar to the one it undertook in Venezuela when it removed President Maduro.” The U.S. State Department told The that it is aware and watching Jáuregui's case but didn't make a link between the case and the CIA deaths.
These are some key points on how a traffic accident in the mountains of Chihuahua led to a charge of treason — a crime Mexico has not successfully brought to trial in decades despite one recent attempt. On April 19, the Chihuahua Attorney General’s Office reported the dismantling of a synthetic drug lab in the municipality of Morelos, in the mountains of that state. On the way back, a vehicle in the convoy veered off the road and fell into a ravine.
Two state agents and two Americans were killed. The Federal Security Cabinet reported the dismantling of laboratories there during a joint operation by the state prosecutor’s office and the army but did not provide details. The operation ended without any arrests because the criminals fled.
According to the federal prosecutor’s office, Jáuregui endangered national security for allegedly authorizing the participation of U.S. agents in the field operation, a decision that only the federal government can make. Experts say it is a political decision ahead of the 2027 Mexican midterm elections. The crime could carry from 5 to 40 years in prison and is very difficult to prove.
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