2 U.S. Embassy officials among 4 killed in car crash after drug lab raid

Four anti-narcotics agents, including two American embassy workers, were killed in a car accident while returning from a major drug raid in northern Mexico, prosecutors said Sunday.

On Friday and Saturday, six clandestine synthetic drug labs were raided in Morelos, in the northern state of Chihuahua, following a three-month investigation, state prosecutor Cesar Jauregui told reporters.

The victims’ vehicle, which was leading an official convoy of five cars, skidded off the road and plunged into a ravine, he said.

The Americans killed were “instructor officers” who “were carrying out training tasks” as part of anti-drug cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico, Jauregui said.

Jauregui called the labs “one of the largest sites found in the country where chemical drugs were produced.”

In a news release, the state attorney general’s office identified two of the crash victims as first commander of the state investigation agency Pedro Román Oseguera Cervantes and officer Manuel Genaro Méndez Montes.

“We extend our deepest condolences and our sympathies to the families of those who died in this tragic accident,” the office said in a statement.

The identities of the two U.S. Embassy officials killed in the crash were not released. U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson paid tribute to the victims in an X post.

“We honor their dedication and tireless efforts to confront one of the greatest challenges of our time,” Johnson said.

“This tragedy is a solemn reminder of the risks faced by those Mexican and U.S. officials who are dedicated to protecting our communities,” he said, adding it “strengthens our resolve to continue their mission.”

Mexico has announced the dismantling of numerous drug labs in recent months after President Trump threatened possible military action to curb cartels in the country. 

In February, Mexican naval personnel discovered a hidden drug laboratory in the country’s Durango region and “neutralized” over 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine. In January,  authorities announced more than 1,500 pounds of meth were seized from clandestine laboratories in the states of Durango, Sinaloa and Michoacán.