Federal prosecutors in Mexico filed treason charges against César Jáuregui Moreno, who served as attorney general of Chihuahua state from 2023 until this year. The charges stem from his authorization of US agents to participate in a raid on a suspected drug manufacturing facility in April. Attorney General Ernestina Godoy Ramos contended that Jáuregui permitted foreign agents to conduct operations that are reserved exclusively for Mexican authorities and withheld relevant information.
The case gained attention following a vehicle accident in Chihuahua in which two individuals identified as US agents and two Mexican law enforcement officers were killed. The crash occurred when a convoy returning from the operation veered off the road and descended into a ravine in a mountainous region. US media reports indicated the Americans worked for the CIA as part of broader narcotics interdiction efforts. At the time, Jáuregui described the individuals as instructor officers from the US embassy engaged in training activities.
Jáuregui, a member of the opposition PAN party, was taken into custody recently, with a court hearing scheduled for Saturday. He has rejected the federal charges and similarly denied involvement in authorizing US agent participation during a state-level court hearing on Sunday. State-level charges against him include abuse of public office. A judge must evaluate whether sufficient evidence exists to advance the case.
The incident occurs amid broader tensions regarding US involvement in Mexican law enforcement operations. President Claudia Sheinbaum has faced pressure from US President Donald Trump to intensify drug trafficking enforcement efforts but has repeatedly rejected US-led counter-narcotics initiatives within Mexico. Sheinbaum has maintained that foreign officials may only operate in Mexico with advance approval from the federal government and has stressed the importance of protecting national sovereignty.
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