Federal prosecutors in Mexico have charged César Jáuregui Moreno, a former attorney general of the northern border state of Chihuahua, with treason for allowing US agents to participate in a drug raid on Mexican soil in April 2026 without proper authorisation, according to BBC.

Treason Allegations and Court Hearing

Jáuregui served as attorney general of Chihuahua from 2023 to 2026 and is a member of the conservative opposition PAN party. He was arrested at the weekend, and a court hearing is scheduled for Saturday. A judge must still determine whether there is enough evidence to proceed with the case, Reuters news agency reports. Jáuregui has denied the allegations.

Attorney General Ernestina Godoy Ramos said Jáuregui had allowed foreign agents to carry out activities reserved for Mexican authorities and had failed to share information. The former prosecutor also faces state-level charges in Chihuahua, including of abuse of public office. In a court hearing for those charges on Sunday, he denied that he instructed or consented to the involvement of US agents in the operation.

Crash Involving US and Mexican Agents

The involvement of US agents came to light after two US agents, said to have worked for the CIA, died in a car crash in Chihuahua along with two Mexican law enforcement officers on April 19. The crash occurred when a convoy returning from an operation targeting suspected methamphetamine labs in a remote, mountainous area veered off the road and plunged into a ravine. Officials said two members of the Chihuahua State Investigation Agency were killed along with the Americans.

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.

Political Context and Sovereignty Concerns

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has faced pressure from US President Donald Trump to crack down on drug trafficking but has repeatedly declined offers of US-led counter-narcotics operations in the country. She has been adamant that foreign officials can only operate on Mexican soil if given prior clearance by the federal government, and has insisted that the Latin American nation’s sovereignty should not be breached.

Sheinbaum indicated in the days after the April car crash that her government was not aware that US agents had been involved in a drug operation in Chihuahua. “Evidently, the military didn’t know there were people participating who weren’t Mexican citizens,” Sheinbaum said at the time. She called for an investigation into whether state officials had respected Mexico’s constitution and its National Security Law, which govern the involvement of foreign forces on Mexican territory.

The constitution requires Senate approval for the presence of any foreign troops in Mexico. The country has a long history of US intervention, including multiple military invasions continuing into the early 20th century. Concerns about the US respecting Mexican sovereignty have risen since US President Donald Trump returned to office for a second term. Trump has suggested that the US could take unilateral military action in Mexico to address cartel drug-trafficking and violence, and he has characterised Mexico’s government as ineffective in addressing the problem.