Mexico charges ex-prosecutor with treason over US drug raid

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 21 Oct, 22:44 · Archive

Mexico has charged a former state prosecutor with treason for allowing US agents to participate in a drug raid without proper authorisation.

Federal prosecutors in Mexico have charged César Jáuregui Moreno, a former attorney general of the northern border state of Chihuahua, with treason. He is accused of allowing US agents to participate in a raid on a suspected drugs lab in April without proper authorisation.

The involvement of US agents came to light after two people said to have worked for the CIA died in a car crash in Chihuahua on 19 April along with two Mexican law enforcement officers. The convoy was returning from an operation targeting suspected methamphetamine labs in a remote, mountainous area when it veered off the road and plunged into a ravine. Attorney General Ernestina Godoy Ramos said Jáuregui had allowed foreign agents to carry out activities reserved for Mexican authorities and had failed to share information.

Under Mexican law, the federal government must approve the activities of foreign forces on the country's soil. The case underscores concerns about US involvement in Mexico and the country's sovereignty. Jáuregui, a member of the conservative opposition PAN party, was arrested at the weekend and has denied the allegations. He also faces state-level charges in Chihuahua, including abuse of public office, which he denied in a court hearing on Sunday.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has come under pressure from US President Donald Trump to crack down on drug trafficking but has repeatedly declined offers of US-led counter-narcotics operations. She has insisted that foreign officials can only operate on Mexican soil with prior federal clearance and that the country's sovereignty should not be breached.

How it is being reported

• Mexico charges prosecutor with treason over US involvement in drug raidThe participation of US agents in an April drug operation has raised questions about whether Mexico's laws were upheld.Al Jazeera · 21 Oct, 22:25
• Ex-prosecutor charged with treason in Mexico over US drug raidCésar Jáuregui Moreno is accused of allowing US agents to join a raid on a suspected drugs lab in April.BBC World · 21 Oct, 21:19

In this story: César Jáuregui Moreno · Ernestina Godoy Ramos · Claudia Sheinbaum · Donald Trump · Mexico · Chihuahua · United States

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem