Federal Judge Will Decide if Chihuahua Prosecutor Must Face Treason Trial

César Jáuregui, the former attorney general of Chihuahua, faces a decision this Saturday that will determine if he stands trial for treason. The charge stems from an April 2026 operation in which two Americans died, and it pits state-level law enforcement against federal claims of national sovereignty. A federal judge must rule on whether to allow the indictment to proceed.

The incident began on April 19 in the municipality of Morelos, located in the mountains of northern Mexico. The Chihuahua Attorney General's Office announced it had dismantled a drug lab, describing it as one of the largest chemical drug production sites in the country. During the return journey, a vehicle in the convoy left the road and fell into a ravine. The crash killed two Mexican officials and two Americans.

The deceased Mexican officials were Pedro Román Oseguera Cervantes, the first commander of the state investigation agency, and Officer Manuel Genaro Méndez Montes. At the time, Jáuregui stated that the two Americans were instructor officers engaged in training tasks under binational anti-drug cooperation. No arrests were made during the operation because the suspects fled the scene.

Federal prosecutors argue that Jáuregui endangered national security by approving the participation of U.S. agents in a field operation, a decision they say is reserved for the federal government. The treason charge carries a potential sentence of five to 40 years. Jáuregui was arrested on October 17 on state charges of illegal exercise of public office, and a judge ruled Thursday that those specific charges can go to trial.

Legal experts question the viability of the treason count. 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, those actions typically do not amount to treason, which he described as a wartime crime. Héctor Villasana, Jáuregui's defense attorney, said prosecutors told a closed hearing they wanted an exemplary punishment to prevent a situation similar to the U.S. removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Carlos Pérez Ricart of CIDE university called the case a political decision ahead of the 2027 midterm elections. He warned that the case sends a very bad signal to Washington and will have a large public impact even if dismissed. The U.S. State Department said it is aware of the case but did not link it directly to the deaths of the agents.

Accounts regarding the Americans' roles have varied. U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson identified them as embassy personnel, while people familiar with the matter told CBS News they were CIA agents. The CIA declined to comment. Mexico's security ministry stated that one American entered as a visitor and the other with a diplomatic passport, and that 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. She recently amended the Constitution to bar field operations without express Mexican authorization. Former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador had previously limited such activities. Pérez Ricart noted that these actions often occur without federal knowledge, and that the lack of clear rules can lead to abuses.