Federal judge to decide Saturday if ex-Chihuahua chief faces treason

César Jáuregui, the former attorney general of Chihuahua, may stand trial for treason as early as next week. A federal judge will decide Saturday whether to accept a formal indictment against him. The charge carries a potential sentence of 5 to 40 years in prison. The case centers on an April joint operation with U.S. agents that ended in a fatal crash.

On April 19, state officials announced they had dismantled a large drug laboratory in the municipality of Morelos. The site was located in the state's mountains. On the return trip, a vehicle in the convoy left the road and fell into a ravine. Four people died in the accident. Two were Mexican state officials: Pedro Román Oseguera Cervantes, the first commander of the state investigation agency, and officer Manuel Genaro Méndez Montes. The other two victims were American men.

Jáuregui described the Americans as instructor officers involved in binational anti-drug cooperation at the time. He called the targeted site one of the largest chemical drug production facilities found in the country. No arrests were made because suspects fled the scene. The deaths prompted questions about foreign presence in Mexican law enforcement. Sheinbaum, the Mexican president, has emphasized national sovereignty in her administration.

Jáuregui resigned his post to allow for a clearer inquiry. He was arrested on October 17 on state charges of illegal exercise of public office. A judge ruled this Thursday that those state charges can proceed to trial. Federal prosecutors later added a treason charge. They argue that Jáuregui endangered national security by approving the participation of U.S. agents in a field operation. That decision is reserved for the federal government.

Defense attorney Héctor Villasana said prosecutors requested an exemplary punishment during a closed hearing. Villasana stated 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.

Legal experts are skeptical that the treason charge will hold up. Samuel González, a former chief prosecutor for organized crime, said Jáuregui may have failed to inform federal authorities or allowed foreign agents to carry weapons. He argued this does not amount to treason, which he described as a wartime crime. Carlos Pérez Ricart of the CIDE university said the case will have a large public impact even if it is dismissed. He called it a political decision ahead of the 2027 midterm elections and warned it sends a very bad signal to Washington.

Accounts of the Americans' roles have varied. U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson called them embassy personnel. Multiple people familiar with the matter told CBS News they were 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 traveling in a separate vehicle were later expelled.

Sheinbaum said none of the agents had permission to operate in Mexico. U.S. agencies have long operated in the country. Former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador limited their activities. Sheinbaum amended the Constitution to bar field operations without express Mexican authorization. Pérez Ricart noted that such actions have often happened without federal knowledge. He said that without clear rules, these operations can lead to abuses.