The Mexican government says two US agents who died last weekend in a car crash had not been authorised to operate in the country. The officials, who reportedly worked for the CIA, had participated in a raid on suspected drug labs in the northern state of Chihuahua before their vehicle skidded off a mountain road and exploded. Following an investigation ordered by President Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico's security ministry said that 'neither had formal accreditation to participate in operational activities' and that federal authorities had not been informed of their presence.
This incident comes amid at-times fraught relations between Mexico and the US on a number of issues including counter-narcotics. Sheinbaum has come under intense pressure from US President Donald Trump to crack down on drug trafficking, but she has repeatedly declined offers of US-led counter-narcotics operations in the country. The Mexican government insists that foreign officials can only operate within its borders if given prior clearance by the federal government, emphasizing the importance of national sovereignty.
Immigration records revealed that one of the agents entered the country as a 'visitor', while the other carried a diplomatic passport. The ministry reiterated that Mexican law prohibits foreign agents from engaging in operations without federal approval.
The crash, which occurred on April 19, happened while a convoy returning from an operation targeting suspected methamphetamine labs veered off the road and plunged into a ravine, resulting in the deaths of two state law enforcement officers alongside the US agents. Chihuahua State Attorney General César Jáuregui mentioned that the US officials were described as 'instructor officers' involved in routine exchanges with US authorities.
Despite the ongoing intelligence-sharing with Washington, Sheinbaum maintained that there would be no joint operations on land or in the air. The CIA had been reportedly conducting covert activities in Mexico for years aimed at tracking top drug traffickers, supported by the Mexican government's approval for training and logistical assistance.
This incident comes amid at-times fraught relations between Mexico and the US on a number of issues including counter-narcotics. Sheinbaum has come under intense pressure from US President Donald Trump to crack down on drug trafficking, but she has repeatedly declined offers of US-led counter-narcotics operations in the country. The Mexican government insists that foreign officials can only operate within its borders if given prior clearance by the federal government, emphasizing the importance of national sovereignty.
Immigration records revealed that one of the agents entered the country as a 'visitor', while the other carried a diplomatic passport. The ministry reiterated that Mexican law prohibits foreign agents from engaging in operations without federal approval.
The crash, which occurred on April 19, happened while a convoy returning from an operation targeting suspected methamphetamine labs veered off the road and plunged into a ravine, resulting in the deaths of two state law enforcement officers alongside the US agents. Chihuahua State Attorney General César Jáuregui mentioned that the US officials were described as 'instructor officers' involved in routine exchanges with US authorities.
Despite the ongoing intelligence-sharing with Washington, Sheinbaum maintained that there would be no joint operations on land or in the air. The CIA had been reportedly conducting covert activities in Mexico for years aimed at tracking top drug traffickers, supported by the Mexican government's approval for training and logistical assistance.
