The Mexican government says two US agents who died last weekend in a car crash had not been authorised to operate in the country.
The officials, who reportedly worked for the CIA, had participated in a raid on suspected drug labs in the northern state of Chihuahua before their vehicle skidded off a mountain road and exploded.
Following an investigation ordered by President Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico's security ministry stated that neither had formal accreditation to participate in operational activities and that federal authorities had not been informed of their presence.
The incident comes amid at-times fraught relations between Mexico and the US on various issues, including counter-narcotics. Sheinbaum has faced pressure from US President Donald Trump to crack down on drug trafficking but has repeatedly declined offers of US-led operations in the country, insisting on sovereignty and requiring prior clearance for foreign officials to operate on Mexican soil.
Mexico's security ministry indicated that immigration records showed one of the agents entered as a visitor, while the other had a diplomatic passport, stating that neither had formal accreditation to participate in operational activities within national territory and that Mexican law prohibits foreign agents from participating in operations without federal approval.
The crash occurred on 19 April when a convoy returning from an operation targeting suspected methamphetamine labs in a remote mountainous area veered off the road and plunged into a ravine. Two members of the Chihuahua State Investigation Agency were also killed in the crash.
Chihuahua State Attorney General César Jáuregui referred to the US officials as instructor officers engaged in training work as part of the normal exchange with US authorities. However, Sheinbaum confirmed last week that while intelligence-sharing continues, there are no joint operations on land or in the air.
A Reuters investigation found that the CIA had run covert operations in Mexico for years to track drug traffickers. Although the CIA has provided training and resources to Mexican units with government approval, Sheinbaum's administration stresses the importance of respecting national sovereignty amid US criticisms regarding drug trafficking and undocumented migration.
