Judge to decide Saturday if ex-Chihuahua prosecutor faces treason

César Jáuregui, the former attorney general of Chihuahua, faces a federal treason charge that could result in a prison term of up to 40 years. A federal judge is scheduled to rule on Saturday whether the indictment proceeds to trial. The charge stems from an April 2026 operation in the municipality of Morelos where a vehicle carrying state and U.S. officials plunged into a ravine on the return trip, killing four people.

The two 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 described the two Americans as instructor officers engaged in binational anti-drug training. He noted that the targeted facility was one of the largest chemical drug production sites in the country. The operation ended without arrests because the suspects fled the scene.

Federal prosecutors contend that Jáuregui endangered national security by approving the participation of U.S. agents in a field operation. Under Mexican law, decisions regarding foreign involvement in such operations are reserved for the federal government. Jáuregui resigned after the deaths to allow for an inquiry. He was arrested on October 17 on state charges of illegal exercise of public office. A judge ruled on Thursday that those state charges can also move forward to trial.

Defense attorney Héctor Villasana stated that prosecutors told a closed hearing they sought an exemplary punishment. Villasana said the goal was to prevent a scenario similar to the U.S. removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The U.S. State Department said it is monitoring the case but did not explicitly link the legal action to the deaths of the two American agents. The CIA declined to comment on the matter.

Legal experts have questioned the viability of the treason count. Samuel González, a former chief prosecutor for organized crime, argued that failing to inform federal authorities or allowing foreign agents to carry weapons constitutes a failure of obligation but not treason, which he characterized as a wartime crime. Carlos Pérez Ricart of CIDE university called the case a political decision ahead of the 2027 midterm elections. He warned that the prosecution sends a very bad signal to Washington, even if the charge is eventually dismissed.

Accounts of the Americans' official roles have shifted. U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson referred to them as embassy personnel. Multiple sources familiar with the matter told CBS News they were CIA agents. Mexico's security ministry reported that one American entered as a visitor and the other held a diplomatic passport. Neither had formal accreditation for operational activities. President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that no U.S. agents had permission to operate in Mexico. Two other U.S. agents traveling in a separate vehicle were expelled following the incident.

The case occurs against a backdrop of changing rules for U.S. presence in Mexico. Former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador limited U.S. activities, and President Sheinbaum amended the Constitution to require express Mexican authorization for field operations. Pérez Ricart noted that such actions have frequently occurred without federal knowledge, potentially leading to abuses in the absence of clear guidelines.