Mexico’s Government Says U.S. Federal Agents Killed in Northern Crash Were Not Authorized for Operations in Country
- Federal agents killed in a car crash in the country’s northern region were not authorized to participate in operations in Mexico.
- Officials as working for the CIA, were returning from destroying a clandestine drug lab in the northern state of Chihuahua when their vehicle drove off a ravine and...
- Two Mexican officers were also killed in the incident, which occurred last weekend in Chihuahua.
Mexico’s government said Saturday that two U.S. Federal agents killed in a car crash in the country’s northern region were not authorized to participate in operations in Mexico.
The agents, who were identified by U.S. Officials as working for the CIA, were returning from destroying a clandestine drug lab in the northern state of Chihuahua when their vehicle drove off a ravine and exploded, according to local government officials.
Two Mexican officers were also killed in the incident, which occurred last weekend in Chihuahua.
A statement from Mexico’s Ministry of Security said one of the agents entered the country as a visitor while the other entered with a diplomatic passport.
The ministry asserted that Mexico’s government was not aware of foreign agents operating or planning to participate in an operation on its soil.
Following an investigation ordered by President Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s security ministry said that neither agent had formal accreditation to participate in operational activities within national territory and that federal authorities had not been informed of their presence.
The ministry noted that Mexican law prohibits foreign agents from taking part in operations without federal approval.
The incident comes amid at-times fraught relations between Mexico and the United States on issues including counter-narcotics.
President Sheinbaum has come under intensifying pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to crack down on drug trafficking but has repeatedly declined offers of U.S.-led counter-narcotics operations in the country.
She has insisted that foreign officials can only operate on Mexican soil if given prior clearance by the federal government and has emphasized that Mexico’s sovereignty should not be breached.
The Mexican government said it is reviewing the case with local authorities and the U.S. Embassy in Mexico.
The CIA has declined to comment on the matter.