In short
- César Jáuregui Moreno served as attorney general of Mexico’s northern border state of Chihuahua from 2023 to 2026.
- Attorney General Ernestina Godoy Ramos said Jáuregui allowed foreign agents to carry out activities reserved for Mexican authorities and failed to share information.
- Two US agents reported to have worked for the CIA died in a car crash in Chihuahua on 19 April, along with two members of the Chihuahua State Investigation Agency.
- Jáuregui, a member of the opposition PAN party, was arrested at the weekend and a court hearing is scheduled for Saturday.
- President Claudia Sheinbaum has repeatedly declined offers of US-led counter-narcotics operations in Mexico.
Federal prosecutors in Mexico have charged César Jáuregui Moreno, attorney general of the northern border state of Chihuahua from 2023 to 2026, with treason for allowing US agents to take part in an April raid on a suspected drugs lab without proper authorisation, according to Mexico’s Attorney General Ernestina Godoy Ramos.
What is César Jáuregui Moreno accused of?
Ernestina Godoy Ramos said Jáuregui allowed foreign agents to carry out activities reserved for Mexican authorities and failed to share information about the operation. Jáuregui has denied the allegations. The case concerns a raid in April on a suspected drugs lab in Chihuahua in which US personnel are said to have taken part without authorisation from the federal government.
How did the US involvement come to light?
Two US agents reported to have worked for the CIA died in a car crash in Chihuahua on 19 April, along with two members of the Chihuahua State Investigation Agency. Officials said a convoy returning from an operation targeting suspected methamphetamine labs in a remote, mountainous area veered off the road and plunged into a ravine. Mexican security forces have separately faced gang violence such as the kidnapping of three officials in Morelos.
At the time, in his capacity as state attorney general, Jáuregui told a news conference that the Americans had been “instructor officers” from the US embassy engaged in “training work as part of the general and normal exchange we have with the US authorities”. US media have reported that the two individuals worked for the CIA as part of an expanded effort to combat narcotics trafficking in the region.
What happens next in the case?
Jáuregui, who belongs to the conservative opposition PAN party, was arrested at the weekend. A court hearing is scheduled for Saturday, and a judge must still determine whether there is enough evidence to proceed with the case, Reuters reported. Mexican courts have handled other high-profile criminal proceedings in recent months, including the jailing of three men for 158 years each over the murders of three surfers.
Jáuregui also faces state-level charges in Chihuahua, including abuse of public office. In a court hearing on those charges on Sunday, he denied that he instructed or consented to the involvement of US agents in the operation.
What has Claudia Sheinbaum said about US operations in Mexico?
President Claudia Sheinbaum has come under pressure from US President Donald Trump to crack down on drug trafficking, but has repeatedly declined offers of US-led counter-narcotics operations in Mexico. She has said foreign officials can only operate on Mexican soil if they are given prior clearance by the federal government, and has insisted the country’s sovereignty should not be breached. Sovereignty disputes are live elsewhere in the region, including the Falklands, where an assembly member has warned of an Argentine “economic war”.
Frequently asked questions
Who is César Jáuregui Moreno?
César Jáuregui Moreno is a member of Mexico’s conservative opposition PAN party who served as attorney general of the northern border state of Chihuahua from 2023 to 2026.
Why is he charged with treason?
Mexico’s Attorney General Ernestina Godoy Ramos said Jáuregui allowed foreign agents to carry out activities reserved for Mexican authorities and failed to share information about an April raid on a suspected drugs lab. Jáuregui denies the allegations.
Who died in the Chihuahua car crash?
Two US agents reported to have worked for the CIA and two members of the Chihuahua State Investigation Agency were killed on 19 April when a convoy returning from an operation against suspected methamphetamine labs went off the road and fell into a ravine.
What has Claudia Sheinbaum said about US operations in Mexico?
President Claudia Sheinbaum has repeatedly declined offers of US-led counter-narcotics operations in Mexico and says foreign officials can only operate on Mexican soil with prior clearance from the federal government.
With reporting from BBC News.
Stock image, not from the events described. City Skyline — Joe deSousa / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)
