Judge Rules Saturday on Chihuahua Treason Case

César Jáuregui, the former attorney general of Chihuahua, awaits a federal ruling on Saturday that will determine if he stands trial for treason. The charge stems from an April 2026 joint operation with U.S. agents that ended in a vehicle crash killing two Americans and two Mexican officials. Prosecutors argue Jáuregui violated national security protocols by allowing foreign personnel to participate in a field mission without notifying the federal government.

The operation targeted a drug laboratory in the municipality of Morelos. State officials announced on April 19 that the site had been dismantled. During the return trip, one vehicle left the road and fell into a ravine. Pedro Román Oseguera Cervantes, the first commander of the state investigation agency, and officer Manuel Genaro Méndez Montes died in the accident. Jáuregui identified the two Americans as instructor officers working under binational anti-drug cooperation agreements.

Federal prosecutors seek a sentence of five to 40 years if Jáuregui is convicted. Héctor Villasana, Jáuregui's defense attorney, stated that prosecutors told a closed hearing they wanted an exemplary punishment. Villasana noted the prosecutors cited the recent U.S. removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as a reason to deter similar future incidents. A federal judge must decide Saturday whether to allow the treason indictment to proceed to trial.

Legal experts question the viability of the treason charge. Samuel González, a former chief prosecutor for organized crime, described treason as a wartime crime. He argued that while Jáuregui may have failed in his duties by not informing federal authorities or by permitting foreign agents to carry weapons, those failures do not meet the legal standard for treason. Carlos Pérez Ricart of CIDE University called the case a political decision ahead of the 2027 midterm elections.

Discrepancies exist regarding the roles of the U.S. nationals involved. U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson described them as embassy personnel. Multiple people familiar with the matter told CBS News they were CIA agents. The CIA declined to comment. Mexico's security ministry stated that one agent entered as a visitor and the other with a diplomatic passport. The ministry confirmed that neither had formal accreditation for operational activities.

President Claudia Sheinbaum has emphasized national sovereignty since taking office. She said that none of the U.S. agents had permission to operate in Mexico. Two other U.S. agents traveling in a separate vehicle were later expelled from the country. Sheinbaum amended the Constitution to bar field operations without express Mexican authorization. This change follows a period under former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador that limited U.S. activities in Mexico.

Jáuregui resigned from his post to allow for an inquiry into the incident. He was arrested on October 17 on state charges of illegal exercise of public office. A state judge ruled Thursday that those charges can proceed to trial. The U.S. State Department said it is aware of the case but did not link it directly to the CIA deaths.

The case illustrates the tension between local law enforcement autonomy and federal oversight. Pérez Ricart warned that the situation sends a signal to Washington about how Mexico handles foreign cooperation. The federal judge's decision Saturday will clarify whether the treason charge is a viable legal path or a political tool in the upcoming election cycle.