Chihuahua Justice: Ex-Attorney General Faces Treason Ruling

The fate of a former state prosecutor hinges on a single ruling this weekend.

Federal prosecutors accuse César Jáuregui of treason for approving a joint operation with U.S. agents without notifying the Mexican federal government. If the indictment stands, he faces a prison term of five to 40 years. The charge is rare and difficult to prove, but it carries the maximum penalty available under the statute. A federal judge is scheduled to decide Saturday whether the case proceeds to trial.

The dispute centers on an April raid in the mountains of Morelos, a municipality in northern Chihuahua. On April 19, state officials announced they had dismantled a large chemical drug lab. During the return trip, a vehicle in the convoy left the road and crashed into a ravine. Four people died in the accident. Two were Mexican state officials, Pedro Román Oseguera Cervantes and officer Manuel Genaro Méndez Montes. The other two were American men. Jáuregui initially described them as instructor officers involved in binational anti-drug training. He stated that the targeted facility was one of the largest sites for chemical drug production in the country. No arrests were made because the suspects fled the scene.

Jáuregui resigned from his post to allow for an inquiry. He was arrested on October 17 on state charges of illegal exercise of public office. A judge ruled Thursday that those state charges can go to trial. Federal officials subsequently added the treason count. Defense attorney Héctor Villasana said prosecutors told a closed hearing they sought an exemplary punishment to prevent a situation similar to the U.S. removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The U.S. State Department stated it is watching the case but did not link it directly to the deaths of the two agents.

Legal experts are skeptical of the treason charge. Samuel González, a former chief prosecutor for organized crime, argued that while Jáuregui may have failed in his obligations, the act does not fit the traditional definition of treason as a wartime crime. Carlos Pérez Ricart of CIDE university called the move a political decision ahead of the 2027 midterm elections. He warned the case sends a strong signal to Washington. Accounts of the Americans' roles have varied. U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson called them embassy personnel, while other sources identified them as CIA agents. The CIA declined to comment. Mexico's security ministry said one man 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 stated that none had permission to operate in Mexico.

The case has intensified debate over foreign involvement in Mexican law enforcement. President Sheinbaum has emphasized national sovereignty and amended the Constitution to bar field operations without express Mexican authorization. Former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador previously limited such activities. Pérez Ricart noted that these actions often occur without federal knowledge, leading to potential abuses when clear rules are absent.