Mexican prosecutors to probe unauthorized presence of CIA agents in country

Mexico’s attorney general’s office on Tuesday announced a full investigation into two US CIA agents who died in a car crash and were not authorized to take part in a local raid.

The Specialized Regional Control Prosecutor’s Office (FECOR), which investigates federal crimes, will open two case files regarding the two alleged agents of the CIA, who died in an accident in Chihuahua, a border state in northwestern Mexico for possible crimes against national security.

“The investigation into the presence of foreign individuals, due to its characteristics and relevance, in addition to considering the possibility that crimes related to national security may have been committed, has been assigned to the Special Prosecutor’s Office for the Investigation and Litigation of Complex Cases within FECOR,” a statement read.

A second investigation will also be conducted regarding the narcotics laboratory dismantled on April 19 by Mexican security agencies, where the CIA agents are presumed to have been involved.

The deaths of the two Americans shook the country by revealing a close link between a Mexican state government and foreign intelligence agencies, a possible violation of the Constitution, which establishes strict controls over foreign agents in Mexico and prohibits their actions without authorization.

The governor of Chihuahua, Maru Campos, from the National Action Party-the second-largest political force in Mexico and a strong opponent of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government-denied having knowledge that the US agents were operating in her state in security tasks.

The conservative governor has created her own team to investigate what happened, but so far has distanced herself from the foreign agents.

The attorney general’s office warned that if crimes against national security are found, all those involved will be held accountable.