Ex-Chihuahua Chief Faces Treason Trial Over Fatal Drug Raid

Forty years is the maximum prison sentence César Jáuregui could face if convicted of treason. The charge stems from his decision to allow U.S. intelligence officers to participate in a drug lab raid in Chihuahua without notifying Mexico’s federal government.

The incident began on April 19, when the Chihuahua Attorney General's Office announced the dismantling of a chemical drug production site in the municipality of Morelos. The lab was described by Jáuregui as one of the largest in the country. On the return trip, a vehicle in the state convoy veered off the road and crashed into a ravine. Four people died in the accident: two state officials, Pedro Román Oseguera Cervantes and Manuel Genaro Méndez Montes, and two Americans.

Jáuregui initially described the U.S. participants as instructor officers engaged in training under binational cooperation agreements. He resigned shortly after the crash to facilitate an inquiry. On October 17, he was arrested on state charges of illegal exercise of public office. A judge ruled Thursday that those state charges can proceed to trial. Federal prosecutors subsequently filed a separate treason indictment against him.

Federal officials argue that Jáuregui endangered national security by approving the presence of foreign agents in a field operation, a power reserved for the federal executive. The treason statute carries a penalty range of five to 40 years. Defense attorney Héctor Villasana stated that prosecutors told a closed hearing they sought an exemplary punishment to prevent a scenario similar to the U.S. removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Legal scholars are skeptical of the treason charge. Samuel González, a former chief prosecutor for organized crime, noted that treason is traditionally a wartime crime. He suggested Jáuregui may have failed in administrative duties by not informing federal authorities or by allowing foreign agents to carry weapons, but argued this does not meet the threshold for treason. Carlos Pérez Ricart of CIDE university called the case a political move ahead of the 2027 midterm elections. He warned that the prosecution sends a negative signal to Washington.

The identity of the U.S. personnel has been disputed. U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson referred to them as embassy personnel. Multiple sources familiar with the matter told CBS News they were Central Intelligence Agency agents. The CIA declined to comment. Mexico's security ministry stated that one American entered the country as a visitor and the other used a diplomatic passport. Neither held formal accreditation for operational activities. Two other U.S. agents in a separate vehicle were later expelled. President Claudia Sheinbaum said no one had permission to operate in Mexico.

A federal judge is scheduled to decide Saturday whether to allow the treason indictment to go forward. The U.S. State Department said it is monitoring the case but did not link it directly to the deaths of its citizens.

The case has intensified scrutiny over foreign intelligence operations in Mexico. Former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador limited such activities, and President Sheinbaum amended the Constitution to require express Mexican authorization for field operations. Pérez Ricart noted that these operations have often occurred without federal knowledge, leading to potential abuses when rules are unclear.