Judge Weighs Treason Case Against Former Chihuahua Prosecutor Saturday

A federal judge will decide Saturday whether treason charges proceed against former Chihuahua attorney general César Jáuregui.

The case stems from an April 19 operation in the mountains of Morelos municipality to dismantle a drug lab. Jáuregui's office announced the lab had been taken apart. On the drive back, a vehicle in the convoy left the road and fell into a ravine, killing two state officials and two Americans. The Mexican dead were identified as Pedro Román Oseguera Cervantes, first commander of the state investigation agency, and officer Manuel Genaro Méndez Montes. The operation produced no arrests because suspects fled. Jáuregui said at the time that he viewed the targeted sites as "one of the largest sites found in the country where chemical drugs were produced."

Federal prosecutors say Jáuregui put national security at risk by letting U.S. agents join a field operation, an approval reserved for the federal government. The charge carries 5 to 40 years. Jáuregui resigned after the deaths to make room for an inquiry and was arrested on Oct. 17 on state counts of illegal exercise of public office. A judge ruled Thursday those state charges can go to trial. Defense attorney Héctor Villasana said prosecutors told a closed hearing they wanted an exemplary punishment to prevent a repeat of the U.S. removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The State Department said it is aware of the case but did not tie it to the CIA deaths.

Samuel González, a former chief prosecutor for organized crime, said Jáuregui may have failed in his duties by not informing federal authorities or by allowing foreign agents to carry weapons, but that this would not amount to treason, which he called a wartime crime. Carlos Pérez Ricart of the CIDE university said the case would carry heavy public weight even if dismissed and called it a political step ahead of the 2027 midterm elections. He said the case "sends a very bad signal to Washington."

Accounts of the Americans' roles differ. U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson called them "embassy personnel." People familiar with the matter later told CBS News they were CIA agents, and the CIA declined to comment. Mexico's security ministry said one entered as a visitor and the other on a diplomatic passport, and that neither held accreditation for operational work. Two other U.S. agents in a separate vehicle were later expelled. President Claudia Sheinbaum said none had permission to operate in Mexico.

Sheinbaum amended the Constitution to bar field operations without express Mexican authorization, building on limits former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador placed on U.S. activities. Pérez Ricart said such actions have often happened without federal knowledge and that unclear rules can lead to abuses. The federal judge's decision on the indictment is due Oct. 24.