Judge decides Saturday on treason case

A federal judge will rule Saturday on whether former Chihuahua Attorney General César Jáuregui must stand trial for treason. The decision determines if the state official faces a sentence ranging from five to 40 years. The charge stems from a joint law enforcement operation that ended in the deaths of four people in April.

On April 19, state authorities announced they had dismantled a drug lab in the Morelos municipality. The facility was described by Jáuregui as one of the largest chemical drug production sites in the country. No suspects were arrested because they fled the scene. During the return trip, a vehicle in the convoy left the road and crashed into a ravine.

Two Mexican officials and two Americans died in the accident. The Mexican victims were Pedro Román Oseguera Cervantes, the first commander of the state investigation agency, and officer Manuel Genaro Méndez Montes. Jáuregui stated at the time that the Americans were instructor officers conducting training tasks under binational cooperation agreements. He later resigned to allow for a thorough inquiry into the incident.

Federal prosecutors argue that Jáuregui endangered national security by approving the participation of U.S. agents in a field operation. They note that such decisions are typically reserved for the federal government. Jáuregui 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.

Defense attorney Héctor Villasana said prosecutors sought an exemplary punishment at a closed hearing. Villasana claimed the goal was to prevent a situation similar to the U.S. removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The U.S. State Department said it is watching the case but did not link it directly to the CIA deaths. Accounts of the Americans' roles have varied, with the ambassador calling them embassy personnel while others identified them as CIA agents.

Legal experts question the validity of the treason charge. Samuel González, a former chief prosecutor for organized crime, stated that treason is generally a wartime crime. He suggested Jáuregui may have failed in his duties by not informing federal authorities or by allowing foreign agents to carry weapons, but that this does not equate to treason. Carlos Pérez Ricart of CIDE university called the case a political decision ahead of the 2027 midterm elections.

Pérez Ricart warned the case sends a bad signal to Washington. Mexico's security ministry stated that one American entered as a visitor and the other with a diplomatic passport. Neither had formal accreditation for operational activities. Two other U.S. agents in a separate vehicle were later expelled. President Claudia Sheinbaum said none of the agents had permission to operate in Mexico.