Former Chihuahua Prosecutor Faces Treason Decision Over U.S. Agent Deaths

A federal judge is scheduled to decide on Saturday whether to allow a treason indictment against César Jáuregui, the former attorney general of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. The charge carries a potential prison sentence of five to 40 years and stems from an April 19 operation in the municipality of Morelos where two Americans and two Mexican officials died in a vehicle accident.

The incident occurred during a raid on a chemical drug lab that state authorities described as one of the largest in the country. On the return journey, a vehicle in the convoy left the road and fell into a ravine. The Mexican victims were Pedro Román Oseguera Cervantes, the first commander of the state investigation agency, and officer Manuel Genaro Méndez Montes. Jáuregui stated that the Americans were instructor officers engaged in binational anti-drug training. The operation concluded without arrests after the suspects escaped.

Federal prosecutors argue that Jáuregui endangered national security by approving the participation of U.S. agents in a field operation without informing the federal government. This authority is reserved for the central government. Jáuregui resigned following the deaths to facilitate an inquiry. He was arrested on October 17 on state charges of illegally exercising public office. A judge ruled on Thursday that those state charges can proceed to trial, while the federal treason charge awaits Saturday's decision.

Defense attorney Héctor Villasana said prosecutors sought an exemplary punishment during a closed hearing to prevent a scenario similar to the U.S. removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The U.S. State Department acknowledged the case but did not explicitly link it to the deaths of the agents. The identity of the American victims remains a point of contention. U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson referred to them as embassy personnel, while multiple sources told CBS News they were CIA agents. The CIA declined to comment. Mexico's security ministry stated that one entered as a visitor and the other held a diplomatic passport, and that neither had formal accreditation for operational duties.

Legal experts question the viability of the treason charge. Samuel González, a former chief prosecutor for organized crime, noted that while Jáuregui may have failed in his duties by allowing foreign agents to carry weapons, treason is typically considered a wartime crime. Carlos Pérez Ricart of CIDE university described the prosecution as a political decision ahead of the 2027 midterm elections. He warned that the case sends a negative signal to Washington, regardless of the outcome.

The case highlights tensions over foreign involvement in Mexican law enforcement under President Claudia Sheinbaum. Sheinbaum amended the Constitution to bar field operations without express Mexican authorization, following limits placed by former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Two other U.S. agents traveling in a separate vehicle were expelled after the accident. Sheinbaum stated that none of the agents had permission to operate in Mexico.