Saturday Decision Set on Treason Charge in Chihuahua Drug Raid Deaths

A federal judge in Mexico is set to decide Saturday whether former Chihuahua state attorney general César Jáuregui will face trial on a treason charge, which carries a penalty of 5 to 40 years. Prosecutors say he authorized U.S. agents to join a field operation, a decision they argue belongs to the federal government. The charge is widely viewed by legal experts as difficult to prove.

The case began with a drug lab dismantled on April 19 in the municipality of Morelos, in Chihuahua's mountains. On the drive back, a vehicle in the convoy ran off the road and fell into a ravine. Two state officials and two Americans died. The state officials were Pedro Román Oseguera Cervantes, first commander of the state investigation agency, and officer Manuel Genaro Méndez Montes. Jáuregui said the Americans were instructor officers working under binational anti-drug cooperation.

Jáuregui resigned after the deaths to allow an inquiry to proceed. He was arrested Oct. 17 on state charges of illegal exercise of public office, and a judge ruled Thursday that those charges can go to trial. Federal prosecutors then added the treason count. Federal prosecutors said Jáuregui endangered national security by approving U.S. agents' participation in the operation.

Defense attorney Héctor Villasana said prosecutors told a closed hearing they wanted an exemplary punishment to prevent a situation like the U.S. removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The U.S. State Department said it is aware of and watching the case but did not link it to the deaths.

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

Accounts of the Americans' roles have varied. U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson called them embassy personnel. Multiple 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 with a diplomatic passport, and that neither held accreditation for operational work. Two other U.S. agents in a separate vehicle were later expelled, and President Claudia Sheinbaum said none had permission to operate in Mexico.

Sheinbaum has amended the Constitution to bar field operations without express Mexican authorization, building on limits her predecessor Andrés Manuel López Obrador placed on U.S. agencies. Pérez Ricapart noted such actions have often happened without federal knowledge. The federal judge's decision on whether to admit the indictment is due Saturday.