Chihuahua Ex-Attorney General Faces Treason Decision

César Jáuregui, the former attorney general of Chihuahua, stands to face a federal treason trial after a judge scheduled to rule Saturday on the validity of the indictment. The charge stems from his approval of a joint law enforcement operation in April that included American personnel, a move that federal prosecutors argue violated national sovereignty.

The case centers on a raid conducted on April 19 in the municipality of Morelos, located in the mountains of northern Mexico. The Chihuahua Attorney General's Office announced at the time that the operation dismantled a large drug laboratory. Jáuregui described the site as one of the largest chemical drug production facilities found in the country. The suspects fled, and the operation ended without arrests.

During the retreat, a vehicle in the convoy left the road and fell into a ravine. The crash killed four people: two Mexican state officials and two Americans. The Mexican victims were identified as Pedro Román Oseguera Cervantes, the first commander of the state investigation agency, and officer Manuel Genaro Méndez Montes. Jáuregui initially characterized the Americans as instructor officers engaged in training under binational cooperation agreements.

The deaths prompted an inquiry and raised questions about the scope of U.S. activity on Mexican soil. Jáuregui resigned to allow the investigation to proceed. He was arrested on October 17 on state charges of illegal exercise of public office. A judge ruled this week that those state charges can proceed to trial. Federal officials subsequently added a treason charge, which carries a potential sentence of five to 40 years.

Federal prosecutors contend that Jáuregui endangered national security by allowing U.S. agents to participate in a field operation, a decision they say is reserved exclusively for the federal government. Defense attorney Héctor Villasana stated that prosecutors told a closed hearing they sought an exemplary punishment. He said this goal was to prevent a scenario similar to the U.S. removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

The U.S. State Department confirmed it is monitoring the case but did not explicitly link the proceedings to the deaths of the two agents. Accounts regarding the Americans' roles have differed. U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson referred to them as embassy personnel, while sources familiar with the matter told CBS News they were CIA agents. The CIA has declined to comment. Mexico's security ministry stated that one American entered as a visitor and the other held a diplomatic passport, noting neither had formal accreditation for operational work.

Two other U.S. agents traveling in a separate vehicle were later expelled from Mexico. President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that none of the Americans had permission to operate in the country. Her administration has emphasized national sovereignty, a stance that has shaped the legal response to the incident.

Legal experts are divided on the likelihood of the treason charge holding up in court. Samuel González, a former chief prosecutor for organized crime, argued that while Jáuregui may have failed in his duties by not informing federal authorities or allowing foreign agents to carry weapons, this does not typically constitute treason, which he described as a wartime crime. He noted the difficulty of proving the charge in a peacetime context.

Carlos Pérez Ricart, a legal scholar at the CIDE university, suggested the case carries political weight regardless of its outcome. He called it a political decision made ahead of the 2027 midterm elections. He warned that the prosecution sends a strong signal to Washington regarding the limits of U.S. cooperation in Mexico. The U.S. has long maintained a presence in Mexican security operations, though former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador sought to limit those activities.

President Sheinbaum has amended the Constitution to require express Mexican authorization for field operations. Pérez Ricart noted that such actions have often occurred without federal knowledge, creating potential for abuse without clear regulatory boundaries. The federal judge's decision on Saturday will determine whether Jáuregui moves toward a trial on the treason count or if the case remains focused on state-level charges.