Jáuregui's Treason Trial Date Looms After CIA Deaths

César Jáuregui, the former attorney general of Chihuahua, faces a potential 40-year prison term if a federal judge approves the treason indictment scheduled for review this Saturday. The decision will determine whether he stands trial for approving U.S. participation in a deadly state operation without notifying the federal government.

The legal process began in April when the Chihuahua Attorney General's Office dismantled a drug lab in the municipality of Morelos. On April 19, officials announced the site had been destroyed in the state's mountains. During the return trip, a vehicle in the convoy left the road and fell into a ravine, killing two state officials and two Americans. The Mexican victims were Pedro Román Oseguera Cervantes, the first commander of the state investigation agency, and officer Manuel Genaro Méndez Montes.

Jáuregui initially described the two Americans as instructor officers conducting training under binational cooperation. He called the site one of the largest chemical drug production areas found in the country. The operation ended without arrests as suspects fled. Following the deaths, Jáuregui resigned to clear the way for an inquiry. He was arrested on October 17 on state charges of illegal exercise of public office. A judge ruled Thursday that those state charges can proceed to trial.

Federal prosecutors later added the treason charge, arguing that Jáuregui endangered national security by allowing U.S. agents in a field operation, a decision reserved for the federal government. The charge carries a sentence of five to 40 years. Defense attorney Héctor Villasana stated that prosecutors told a closed hearing they sought an exemplary punishment to prevent a situation similar to the U.S. removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Legal experts question the strength of the treason claim. Samuel González, a former chief prosecutor for organized crime, noted that while Jáuregui may have failed to inform federal authorities or allowed foreign agents to carry weapons, this does not amount to treason, which he described as a wartime crime. Carlos Pérez Ricart of CIDE university said the case will have a large public impact even if dismissed. He called it a political decision ahead of the 2027 midterm elections and warned it sends a bad signal to Washington.

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

The U.S. State Department said it is aware of and watching the case but did not link it to the CIA deaths. Former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador had limited U.S. activities in Mexico, and Sheinbaum amended the Constitution to bar field operations without express Mexican authorization. Pérez Ricart observed that such actions often happen without federal knowledge and can lead to abuses without clear rules.