Two U.S. Officials Killed In Northern Mexico Were CIA Agents: Report

Two U.S. officials who died Sunday in northern Mexico following a clandestine mission to destroy drug labs worked for the CIA.

The U.S. government has not identified the men, but the Associated Press, citing three sources, reported that they worked for the CIA. The men died while in a convoy following the mission when the vehicle they were riding in left the roadway and burst into flames. Two Mexican law enforcement officials who were also in the vehicle died as well.

The incident has raised questions regarding the involvement of U.S. personnel in Mexican law enforcement operations and security matters, and whether Mexican sovereignty was violated.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that Mexico’s security cabinet was unaware of the apparent operation and demanded answers as to the extent of U.S. involvement from local authorities in Chihuahua.

Earlier this week, Sheinbaum acknowledged to the Associated Press that the U.S. and Mexico share information, but she also said that “there are no joint operations on land or in the air.”

Chihuahua Attorney General César Jáuregui told the Washington Post that Sheinbaum’s office was not notified, as per protocol when a foreign country is involved in national operations, because the CIA did not participate in the actual seizure of the drug lab operation. He said that the operation was carried out by 40 Mexican agents.

Jáuregui said that the CIA agents were conducting training “about eight to nine hours away” from the drug lab operation. Afterwards they met up with Chihuahua law enforcement officials, with the fatal crash taking place later.

In a press release announcing the car crash, the Chihuahua Attorney General’s office stated that “two instructor officers from the United States Embassy…died in an accident while returning from the operation to destroy clandestine laboratories in the municipality of Morelos.”

The release stated that two members of the Chihuahua State Investigation Agency, Pedro Román Oseguera Cervantes and officer Manuel Genaro Méndez Montes also died.

The release describes the Americans as “two instructor officers from the United States Embassy, ​​who were carrying out training work as part of the exchange that is generally and normally carried out with the American authorities, also died in the accident.”

U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson acknowledged the deaths of U.S. embassy personnel on social media, writing that “This tragedy is a solemn reminder of the risks faced by those Mexican and U.S. officials who are dedicated to protecting our communities.”

As of yet, the U.S. men have not been identified by the government.