Mexico says unaware of CIA agents in anti-drug operation

Mexico City, April 29 Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has said that the United States had pledged to respect Mexican law after it emerged that Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agents operated in the country without federal authorisation.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Sheinbaum said Washington was responding to a diplomatic note seeking details about an April 19 incident in which two CIA agents were killed in an accident following an anti-drug operation that exposed their activities.

She said the US response included a clear commitment to comply with Mexico's legal framework. "They are providing the information, and they have stated their intention to respect the law and the Constitution in Mexico," she said.

The disclosure that US intelligence agents took part in an operation in the northern state of Chihuahua to dismantle a clandestine drug lab without federal authorisation has sparked diplomatic tensions between the two countries, reports Xinhua news agency.

Sheinbaum said the Attorney General's Office is investigating the incident and must take over where there is a presumption of a crime.

She added she hoped the CIA's involvement was an isolated case and not a precedent for future bilateral security cooperation.

"Mexico must be respected," she said.

Earlier on April 21, Sheinbaum had said that the federal government was unaware of the CIA agents taking part in an anti-narcotics operation in northern Mexico to dismantle a clandestine drug lab.

The presence of US agents in an operation against organised crime in Chihuahua, a state bordering Texas, "is something that should not be taken lightly," as it is a matter of national security and sovereignty, said the president.

"We are verifying whether they were accredited or not," she said at Wednesday's morning press conference regarding this case that came to light after the two American agents lost their lives in an accident in the Chihuahua mountains while dismantling drug labs.

Sheinbaum emphasised that, given this potential violation of national laws, the Foreign Ministry sent a letter to the US Ambassador to Mexico requesting all relevant information and that such actions are not part of established security protocols.

"Any relationship with the US government, particularly on security matters, must go through the federal government," she said, adding there had been "no knowledge" of the agents' participation. She also stressed that no US government agents should operate in Mexico without authorisation.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor