As Mexican authorities continue investigating the fatal April 19 crash that allegedly killed two U.S. and two Mexican officials, a separate report by a journalist suggests authorities may not have fully disclosed the identities of those involved.
According to an investigation by journalist Luis Chaparro on his YouTube channel Pie de Nota, the victims were not two CIA agents, but four. He said his team verified that the four individuals were assigned to the CIA's Directorate of Operations, based in Monterrey, Nuevo León.
According to Chaparro's reporting, the four agents were not the only ones stationed in Mexico. He said they were part of a group of more than 10 agents who, since at least January, had been deployed to Ciudad Juárez and participated in multiple operations in the state while wearing uniforms from Chihuahua's State Investigation Agency.
In a separate interview with journalist Azucena Uresti, Chaparro said some officials within Mexico's Defense Ministry were aware of the operations. His sources said the CIA agents coordinated directly with regional army commanders for support during missions and worked through a strategic operations office within the Chihuahua Attorney General's Office, and every single operation was authorized from an intelligence center in El Paso, Texas, according to his reporting.
As the investigation unfolds, Chihuahua Attorney General César Jáuregui has denied that U.S. agents took part in the bust, saying they were encountered on a highway conducting training activities hours away from where the raid took place, although Chaparro said he has images that place them at the site of the clandestine drug lab.
For her part, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reiterated April 22 that she has rejected proposals from U.S. President Donald Trump to send American troops into Mexico to combat drug trafficking.
"We do not accept participation in the field, in operations. We have made that very clear," she said.
Sheinbaum added that the Interior Ministry is investigating the case, as the federal government had not been informed of the presence of the CIA agents in the operation.
"There cannot be collaboration from a state government, particularly on security matters," Sheinbaum said.
© 2025 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
