Federal prosecutors in Mexico have charged César Jáuregui Moreno, the former attorney general of the northern border state of Chihuahua, with treason over his alleged role in allowing US agents to join a raid on a suspected drugs lab in April without the federal government's approval. Jáuregui, a member of the conservative National Action Party (PAN), was arrested over the weekend, and a court hearing is scheduled for Saturday to determine whether there is enough evidence to proceed with a criminal case.
Attorney General Ernestina Godoy Ramos has said Jáuregui allowed foreign agents to carry out activities reserved for Mexican authorities and failed to share information. Jáuregui denies the allegations. At a state-level court hearing on Sunday, he denied that he instructed or consented to the involvement of US agents in the operation. He also faces state-level charges in Chihuahua, including abuse of public office.
The case stems from a crash on 19 April, when a convoy returning from an operation targeting suspected methamphetamine labs in a remote, mountainous area veered off the road and plunged into a ravine. Two US agents, reported by media to have worked for the CIA, and two members of the Chihuahua State Investigation Agency were killed. At the time, Jáuregui described the Americans as "instructor officers" from the US embassy engaged in "training work as part of the general and normal exchange we have with the US authorities". In a statement the day after the crash, he ruled out the involvement of foreign personnel in drug operations, saying the US agents had been nearby for a drone training session and asked to join a convoy back to the airport. "It is worth explaining what happened, in order to clarify the facts that are causing some confusion," he said.
The case has highlighted Mexico's limits on foreign operations. Under Mexican law, the federal government must approve the activities of foreign forces on its soil, and the constitution requires Senate approval for the presence of foreign troops. President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has repeatedly declined US-led counter-narcotics operations, said after the crash that her government was not aware US agents had been involved. "Evidently, the military didn't know there were people participating who weren't Mexican citizens," she told reporters. She has insisted that foreign officials can only operate in Mexico with prior federal clearance and that the country's sovereignty should not be breached.
The charges come as US President Donald Trump has pressed Mexico to crack down on drug cartels and has suggested the US could take unilateral military action there. Matias Gomez Leautaud, an analyst at the risk consultancy Eurasia Group, told Reuters that the treason charge "seeks to set a precedent and prevent cooperation between [Mexican] states and the US government without the federal government's coordination and approval". Treason convictions are rare in Mexico; the last widely recognised example came in 1867, when Emperor Maximilian was executed.