Mexico’s Sovereignty at Center of Treason Case

Mexico has charged former Chihuahua Attorney General Cesar Jauregui with treason, alleging he allowed United States agents to join an antidrug operation without federal approval. A judge ordered Jauregui held in pretrial detention as the court considers whether sufficient evidence supports a criminal case.

Who Authorized the Operation

Mexican law requires federal approval for foreign forces to operate on the country’s territory. Federal Attorney General Ernestina Godoy accused Jauregui of letting foreign agents take part in operations without first telling federal officials.

Authorities brought the charge on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, after questions about the agents’ presence surfaced following a car accident on April 19. Two US agents and two Mexican law enforcement officials died in the crash. News outlets, citing anonymous sources, reported that the US agents had worked with state law enforcement to destroy a drug lab.

President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration has worked with the US on crime and insecurity, but opposes direct US cooperation with Mexican states without prior federal authorisation. Matias Gomez Leautaud, an analyst at the Eurasia Group, a US-based risk consultancy firm, told Reuters the charge “seeks to set a precedent and prevent cooperation between [Mexican] states and the US government without the federal government's coordination and approval”.

Competing Accounts of the US Role

In the days after the crash, Sheinbaum said her government hadn’t known US agents were involved in a drug operation in Chihuahua. “Evidently, the military didn't know there were people participating who weren't Mexican citizens,” she told reporters. She called for an investigation into whether state officials had followed Mexico’s constitution and its National Security Law, which govern foreign forces’ involvement in the country.

The constitution requires Senate approval for foreign troops to be present in Mexico. The reported involvement of US agents in a state operation, alongside the federal government’s lack of prior knowledge, sits at the center of the case. The source doesn’t establish whether the agents were troops or whether anyone sought Senate approval.

The agents’ purpose remained disputed after the crash. Media identified them as members of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), a US foreign intelligence branch with a history of covert operations. State officials denied that the agents took part in a drug bust.

In an April 20 news release, Jauregui “ruled out the involvement of foreign personnel” in state drug operations. He said US instructors had been nearby for a drone-training session and later asked to join a convoy of Mexican law enforcement personnel returning to the airport. “It is worth explaining what happened, in order to clarify the facts that are causing some confusion,” Jauregui said. He resigned as state attorney general later that month.

Sovereignty and the Treason Charge

Experts say Mexican law defines treason vaguely, covering acts that undermine the country’s sovereignty for a foreign entity’s benefit. Convictions are rare. The last widely recognised example came in 1867, when Emperor Maximilian faced a court-martial and was later executed for crimes against Mexico.

Concerns about US respect for Mexican sovereignty have grown since US President Donald Trump returned to office for a second term. Trump has suggested the US could take unilateral military action in Mexico to address cartel drug-trafficking and violence, and has described Mexico’s government as ineffective. “We have to eradicate them,” Trump said of the cartels in March. “We have to knock the hell out of them because they're getting worse. They're taking over their country. The cartels are running Mexico.”

Jauregui belongs to the National Action Party, a conservative political movement in Mexico. Sheinbaum leads the left-wing Morena party. The court must now decide whether sufficient evidence supports moving forward.