Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum threatened sanctions against officials in the northern state of Chihuahua after two American operatives were killed in a car crash following a counternarcotics operation in the region.
Sheinbaum said her administration is considering punitive measures against Chihuahua officials following the deaths of Americans, who were reportedly Central Intelligence Agency officers, under disputed circumstances.
The Mexican president has demanded a full accounting from state authorities, arguing that the episode raises serious concerns about security operations and U.S. officials operating on Mexican soil.
“There cannot be agents from any U.S. government institution operating in the Mexican field,” Sheinbaum said.
The two Americans were killed when their vehicle crashed and exploded following a raid on a cartel-run drug laboratory. Two Mexican investigators were also killed in the accident.
Official channels have released conflicting accounts of the matter. Chihuahua Attorney General Cesar Jauregui and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson both said U.S. personnel were “supporting” Chihuahua officials in the operation.
Sheinbaum previously said the Mexican federal government was not briefed on the operation, but the Mexican Security Cabinet later said that the army and the state prosecutor’s office carried out a joint operation over the weekend in Chihuahua, dismantling drug labs in the same location, indicating the federal government had some knowledge of the circumstances.
On Wednesday, Sheinbaum said the army participated in the operation but that her office was not aware of U.S. agents’ joining in the raid.
President Donald Trump has designated cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, giving a strong indication that he was prepared to authorize the CIA to engage in violent action against the cartels, but Sheinbaum dismissed the idea that the incident indicates a new strategy by Trump.
Jauregui said Tuesday that U.S. personnel were only involved in training and coordination activities related to the bust.
SHEINBAUM DEMANDS ANSWERS AFTER TWO AMERICAN OFFICIALS KILLED IN MEXICO
Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch reaffirmed that idea, saying that American agents have not gone into the field with Mexican forces. He noted that the two governments often exchange information.
Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of U.S. action against Mexican cartels, but Sheinbaum has said it is not necessary, emphasizing Mexico’s sovereignty.