MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Wednesday she may impose sanctions on Chihuahua state officials for permitting CIA operatives to join a drug laboratory destruction mission without getting approval from Mexico’s central government.
The president’s remarks followed several days of conflicting statements from various officials regarding the weekend deaths of two American agents in a vehicle accident. The agents were traveling back from dismantling an illegal drug manufacturing facility in northern Mexico when the fatal crash occurred. A U.S. official and two sources with knowledge of intelligence operations confirmed Tuesday that the CIA was involved in the mission.
“There cannot be agents from any U.S. government institution operating in the Mexican field,” the president stated during her morning news briefing. She noted that such activities are not part of the current security protocols or the formal understanding between the two nations.
The fatal accident also claimed the lives of two Mexican law enforcement officers. Mexican officials reported the crash happened as their convoy returned from destroying criminal organizations’ drug production sites. Conflicting public statements from American and Mexican authorities have highlighted increased U.S. participation in regional security missions, according to experts.
During Wednesday’s briefing, Sheinbaum confirmed that Mexico’s military took part in the raid, explaining this falls within their authority to assist individual states. She stressed, however, that federal officials had no knowledge of American agents being present during the operation.
The president dismissed suggestions that this incident represents a new approach by the Trump administration, which has pressed Mexico to intensify its anti-cartel efforts.
Sheinbaum revealed she has written to the U.S. ambassador in Mexico demanding complete details about the incident. She also plans to meet with Chihuahua Governor Maru Campos. “It is very important that something like this not be allowed to go unaddressed,” she said.
President Donald Trump has frequently suggested direct action against Mexican drug cartels, an approach Sheinbaum has called “unnecessary.”
