Treason Trial Set for Chihuahua AG Over Death of Two CIA Agents

Two Americans died in April when a vehicle plunged into a ravine during a joint law enforcement operation in northern Mexico. The incident has led to a treason charge against César Jáuregui, the former attorney general of Chihuahua. He faces a potential sentence of 5 to 40 years in prison.

The operation targeted a drug lab in the municipality of Morelos. The Chihuahua Attorney General's Office announced the lab's dismantling on April 19. Jáuregui described the site as one of the largest chemical drug production locations found in the country. No suspects were arrested during the raid.

During the return trip, a car in the convoy left the road. The vehicle crashed into a ravine. Two Mexican state officials died in the accident. The victims were Pedro Román Oseguera Cervantes, the first commander of the state investigation agency, and officer Manuel Genaro Méndez Montes. Two Americans also died in the crash.

Jáuregui initially described the Americans as instructor officers engaged in training tasks. He said their presence was part of binational anti-drug cooperation. The deaths sparked a debate over foreign involvement in Mexican law enforcement. President Claudia Sheinbaum has emphasized national sovereignty in recent months.

Federal prosecutors accuse Jáuregui of endangering national security. They argue he approved the participation of U.S. agents in a field operation. That decision is reserved for the federal government. A judge ruled on Thursday that state charges of illegal exercise of public office can proceed to trial. A federal judge will decide Saturday whether to allow the treason indictment.

Defense attorney Héctor Villasana said prosecutors requested an exemplary punishment at a closed hearing. He stated the goal was to prevent a situation like the U.S. removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The U.S. State Department said it is watching the case but did not link it directly to the CIA deaths.

Accounts of the Americans' roles have varied. U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson called them embassy personnel. People familiar with the matter told CBS News they were CIA agents. The CIA declined to comment. Mexico's security ministry said one man entered as a visitor and the other with a diplomatic passport. Neither had formal accreditation for operational activities.

Two other U.S. agents traveling in a separate vehicle were later expelled. Sheinbaum said none of the agents had permission to operate in Mexico. Former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador limited U.S. agency activities in the country. Sheinbaum amended the Constitution to bar field operations without express Mexican authorization. Legal experts doubt the treason charge will hold, noting it is typically a wartime crime.

Samuel González, a former chief prosecutor for organized crime, said Jáuregui may have failed to inform federal authorities. He noted that allowing foreign agents to carry weapons is a failure of obligation but not treason. Carlos Pérez Ricart of CIDE university said the case will have a large public impact even if dismissed. He called it a political decision ahead of the 2027 midterm elections.