Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is demanding answers from U.S. officials after two American personnel were killed alongside two Mexican investigators in a car crash following a counternarcotics operation in northern Mexico.
The four officials died Sunday in the state of Chihuahua when their vehicle veered off a mountainous road, plunged into a ravine, and exploded as they returned from activities linked to the dismantling of a clandestine drug laboratory, according to Mexican authorities.
Chihuahua Attorney General Cesar Jauregui said the officials died after returning from an operation to raid a drug cartel lab, which he called “one of the largest ever located.”
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson said the officials were “supporting” Chihuahua authorities.
Sheinbaum said her administration had not been informed of any collaboration between U.S. personnel and local authorities, warning that such coordination without federal approval could violate Mexico’s national security laws.
The Mexican Security Cabinet later said that the army and state prosecutor’s office carried out a joint operation over the weekend in Chihuahua, dismantling drug labs in the same location, indicating Shainbaum’s security forces had some knowledge of such an operation.
Jauregui said the drug lab operation had been planned over several months and carried out by Mexican authorities, with U.S. personnel involved only in training and coordination activities.
However, the Washington Post reported that two Americans were allegedly officers with the Central Intelligence Agency, citing people familiar with the matter, and had been supporting intelligence efforts tied to a broader U.S. counternarcotics initiative in the region.
The notion that the Americans were CIA officers aligns with an idea President Donald Trump hinted at in January 2025. In his inaugural address, the president said he would designate cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, giving a strong indication that he was prepared to issue a highly classified covert action finding that would authorize the CIA to engage in violent action against the cartels.
SHEINBAUM SAYS THERE IS ‘NO AGREEMENT’ WITH US ON CARTELS DESPITE DEA MEMO
According to the Washington Post, the agency has expanded its footprint in Latin America in recent years, providing intelligence, training, and surveillance support to partner nations combating drug cartels.
The crash has reignited a long-running debate in Mexico over sovereignty and the extent of U.S. involvement in domestic security operations. Sheinbaum reiterated that Mexico does not permit joint foreign military operations on its soil, limiting cooperation to information sharing within established frameworks.