A former Mexican state attorney general arrested after a deadly drug raid could become the first person tried for treason in decades.
César Jáuregui, who led the Chihuahua state prosecutor’s office, faces a federal judge’s ruling Saturday on whether a treason indictment can proceed. The charge was added after his Oct. 17 arrest on state allegations of illegal exercise of public office, which a separate judge already ruled Thursday can go to trial.
The case stems from an April 19 operation to dismantle a drug lab in the mountains of Morelos municipality. Two CIA agents and two Mexican state officials died when a vehicle in the convoy veered off the road and fell into a ravine on the return trip. Two other U.S. Agents traveling in another vehicle were later expelled from the country.
President Claudia Sheinbaum said none of the Americans had permission to operate in Mexico and that the military was unaware of the foreigners’ presence. The next day, she said she was unaware of the operation herself. Jáuregui clarified that the Americans had joined the group after it had already begun.
According to the federal prosecutor’s office, Jáuregui endangered national security by authorizing the participation of U.S. Agents in the field operation, a decision that only the federal government can make. The charge carries a sentence of 5 to 40 years in prison.
Héctor Villasana, one of Jáuregui’s defense attorneys, said federal prosecutors told the court in a closed hearing this week that they were seeking an exemplary punishment to prevent a situation like the United States’ removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Luis Villegas, the former prosecutor’s defense coordinator, said it was unacceptable for the federal prosecution to compare the presence of the agents to a foreign “invasion.”
Samuel González, a former chief prosecutor for organized crime and an analyst, said that Jáuregui may have failed to fulfill his obligations by not informing the federal government or by allowing the foreign agents to carry weapons in violation of the law. But “even if that were the case, it would not constitute treason,” a wartime crime.
The two Americans who died were officials providing training related to intelligence and drones, according to Villegas. U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson stated they were “embassy personnel,” though the outlet later confirmed they were CIA agents. According to Jáuregui’s defense team, the federal prosecutor’s office said the agents were close to the person who led the operation, the Chihuahua investigations chief, who was one of two deceased Mexicans.
The operation ended without arrests because the criminals fled. The Federal Security Cabinet had reported the dismantling of laboratories there during a joint operation by the state prosecutor’s office and the army but did not provide details about the American presence.
Mexico has long worked with the U.S. In its fight against organized crime, but that collaboration has caused fears that American agencies do not respect the country’s sovereignty. Former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador limited their activities during his 2018–2024 term, and Sheinbaum amended the Constitution to prohibit field operations without the express authorization and cooperation of the Mexican government. The law does not allow members of U.S. Agencies to be armed.
Carlos Pérez Ricart, a professor at the Mexican university CIDE and author of the book “A Hundred Years of Spies and Drugs,” said that even if the case is ultimately dismissed, its public impact will be huge. He said the case could set back the country’s fight against drugs and organized crime because it “sends a very bad signal to Washington,” while the discussion should center on “more or better” collaboration with the U.S.
Ricart noted that beyond official relations, there have always been anti-drug agents involved in operations of this kind, “often without the federal government’s knowledge.”
“These actions happen, have happened, and will continue to happen” because they are based on U.S. Trust with state or local officials and facilitate ongoing collaboration,” he said.
“However, since there are no clear rules, they can lead to abuses.”
Experts say the treason charge is very difficult to prove and represents a political decision ahead of the 2027 Mexican midterm elections. Sheinbaum’s opponents, including Chihuahua’s governing National Action Party, have claimed that she’s running a “narco-government.” Trump has repeatedly said Mexico isn’t doing enough against the cartels.
Jáuregui resigned his post saying he wanted to clear the way for an inquiry into the operation. He is being held in pretrial detention at a maximum-security prison.
The U.S. State Department said that it is aware and watching Jáuregui’s case but didn’t make a link between the case and the CIA deaths.
A federal judge will rule Saturday on whether to allow the treason indictment against Jáuregui to move forward.