Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has ordered an investigation into the role of two US officials killed in a crash in Chihuahua, according to BBC. The officials died alongside two Mexican counterparts in a vehicle accident during a counter-narcotics operation in the northern state.

Details of the Crash

Chihuahua state officials confirmed that the two US nationals and two members of the Chihuahua State Investigation Agency (AEI) died when their car skidded off the road and fell into a ravine, where it exploded. The incident occurred on Sunday morning as they were returning from an operation to destroy clandestine labs for synthetic drugs.

US Ambassador in Mexico, Ronald Johnson, identified the two Americans as “US embassy personnel.” Chihuahua State Attorney-General César Jáuregui stated in a news conference that the two were “instructor officers” from the US embassy engaged in “training work as part of the general and normal exchange we have with the US authorities.”

Jáuregui added that the accident happened as they were driving back from an operation in which a number of clandestine labs for the production of synthetic drugs were destroyed. He noted that the two US officials were engaged in “basic training work, some eight or nine hours [drive] from the place where the operation against the drugs lab took place.”

Legal and Diplomatic Concerns

Sheinbaum has emphasized that foreign officials can only operate on Mexican soil if given prior clearance at the federal level. She said that neither she nor senior members of the federal security team had been informed about any joint US-Mexican operations.

Sheinbaum has faced pressure from her US counterpart, Donald Trump, to do more to stem the flow of drugs from Mexico to the United States. However, she has insisted that Mexico’s “sovereignty” cannot be breached. She stated, “we did not have knowledge of any direct work between Chihuahua state and personnel from the US embassy.”

Sheinbaum added that the government needed “to understand the circumstances under which this was taking place, and then assess the legal implications.” Officials from her government have asked both the US embassy and Chihuahua state authorities for information to determine if the operation may have breached Mexican national security law, which does not allow for joint operations without prior approval at the federal level.

She stressed that while her government works with the US, including intelligence sharing, there “are no joint operations on land or in the air.” The BBC has contacted the CIA for comment on the incident.

Historical Context of US-Mexico Intelligence Cooperation

Last September, a Reuters investigation found that the CIA has been running covert operations in Mexico for years to track down the country’s most-wanted drug traffickers. The agency also worked closely with special narco-hunting units inside the Mexican military.

With the Mexican government’s approval, the CIA has provided select Mexican units with training, equipment, and financial support for operations, including travel. At least two CIA-vetted military units are currently active, including the Mexican Army group that captured Ovidio Guzmán-López, and a specialised Mexican Navy intelligence outfit, according to Reuters.

The crash has raised questions about the extent of US involvement in Mexican counter-narcotics efforts and the legal boundaries of such operations. As the investigation unfolds, the role of the US officials killed in the crash will remain under scrutiny.