40 Years: Potential Sentence for Ex-Chihuahua Chief in Treason Case

César Jáuregui, the former attorney general of Chihuahua, faces a potential 40-year prison term if a federal judge approves a treason indictment on Saturday. The charge stems from an April 19 operation to dismantle a drug lab in the municipality of Morelos, where two Mexican officials and two American agents died in a vehicle crash.

Jáuregui authorized U.S. participation in the raid without notifying the federal government. Federal prosecutors argue that approving foreign agents for a field operation is a power reserved for Mexico's central authority. By acting unilaterally, they claim he endangered national security. The treason statute carries a sentencing range of five to 40 years, though legal experts note the charge is difficult to prove.

The incident began when the Chihuahua Attorney General's Office announced the lab had been destroyed in the state's mountains. On the return trip, one vehicle left the road and fell into a ravine. The Mexican victims were Pedro Román Oseguera Cervantes, the first commander of the state investigation agency, and officer Manuel Genaro Méndez Montes. Jáuregui described the Americans as instructor officers engaged in training under binational cooperation. The operation ended with no arrests because the suspects fled.

Jáuregui resigned from his post to allow for an inquiry. He was arrested on Oct. 17 on state charges of illegal exercise of public office. A judge ruled Thursday that those state charges can go to trial. Federal officials subsequently added the treason charge. His defense attorney, Héctor Villasana, stated that prosecutors sought an exemplary punishment to prevent scenarios similar to the U.S. removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Legal analysts question the validity of the treason label. Samuel González, a former chief prosecutor for organized crime, noted that treason is typically a wartime crime. He suggested Jáuregui may have failed to inform federal authorities or allowed foreign agents to carry weapons, but that these errors do not meet the legal definition of treason. Carlos Pérez Ricart of CIDE university called the case a political decision ahead of the 2027 midterm elections. He warned it sends a negative signal to Washington.

Accounts of the Americans' status have varied. U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson initially identified them as embassy personnel. Later reports from people familiar with the matter identified them as CIA agents. The CIA declined to comment. Mexico's security ministry stated that one agent entered as a visitor and the other with a diplomatic passport. Neither had formal accreditation for operational activities. Two other U.S. agents in a separate vehicle were expelled. President Claudia Sheinbaum said none had permission to operate in Mexico.

The case highlights ongoing tensions over U.S. agency activity in Mexico. Former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador limited such operations. Sheinbaum later amended the Constitution to bar field operations without express Mexican authorization. The U.S. State Department said it is watching the case but did not link it directly to the CIA deaths.