Mexico says US agents killed in crash weren't permitted to operate there

The two Americans who reportedly worked for the CIA died in a car crash after a Mexican-led operation to destroy a drug lab. Mexico says US agents killed in crash weren't permitted to operate there Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. The two US agents were returning from an operation to destroy illegal drug labs in the northern state of Chihuahua A suspected clandestine methamphetamine processing lab, according to the Attorney General's Office of Chihuahua, discovered during an operation by Mexican authorities in a mountainous area near Guachochi, in Chihuahua state, Mexico, in this handout photo distributed on April 18, 2026. The Mexican government says two US agents who died last weekend in a car crash had not been authorised to operate in the country. US agents who died last weekend in a car crash had not been authorised to operate in the country. The officials, who reportedly worked for the CIA, had taken part in a raid on suspected drug labs in the northern state of Chihuahua before their vehicle skidded off a mountain road and exploded. Following an investigation ordered by President Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico's security ministry said that "neither had formal accreditation to participate in operational activities" and that federal authorities had not been informed of their presence. The incident comes amid at-times fraught relations between Mexico and the US on a number of issues including counter-narcotics. Sheinbaum has come under intensifying pressure from US President Donald Trump to crack down on drug trafficking, but has repeatedly declined offers of US-led counter-narcotics operations in the country. She has been adamand that foreign officials can only operate on Mexican soil if given prior clearance by the federal government, and has insisted the Central American nation's sovereignty should not be breached. Mexico's security ministry said on Saturday that immigration records showed one of the agents had entered the country as a "visitor", while the other had travelled on a diplomatic passport. "Neither had formal accreditation to participate in operational activities within national territory," the ministry said in a statement, noting that Mexican law prohibits foreign agents from taking part in operations without federal approval. US media previously reported that the two individuals, who have not been named, had worked for the CIA as part of an expanded effort to combat narcotics trafficking in the region - a key focus of the Trump administration. The crash occurred on 19 April, when a convoy returning from an operation targeting suspected methamphetamine labs in a remote, mountainous area veered off the road and plunged into a ravine. Two members of the Chihuahua State Investigation Agency were also killed, officials said. Chihuahua State Attorney General César Jáuregui told a news conference that the US officials were "instructor officers" from the US embassy engaged in "training work as part of the general and normal exchange we have with the US authorities". However, Sheinbaum said last week that, while intelligence-sharing with Washington was ongoing, there were "no joint operations on land or in the air". However, Sheinbaum said last week that, while intelligence-sharing with Washington was ongoing, there were "no joint operations on land or in the air" Last September, a Reuters investigation found the CIA had been running covert operations in Mexico for years to track down the country's most-wanted drug traffickers. With the Mexican government's approval, the CIA has provided select Mexican units with training, equipment and financial support for operations, including travel, according to Reuters. Sheinbaum has repeatedly said that her government would work with Washington on security issues, while resisting US threats to put boots on the ground. Her government has recently pursued an aggressive crackdown on drug trafficking to assuage Trump, who has also repeatedly criticised Mexico for undocumented migration across the two's shared border. Role of US officials killed in crash in Mexico under scrutiny Mourners - some of them wearing surgical masks - look on as a gold-coloured casket containing the body of cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," is displayed during his funeral at the Recinto de la Paz cemetery in Zapopan, Mexico, on 2 March, 2026. Mexican drug lord 'El Mencho' buried in golden coffin A cartel member wearing a black balaclava looks into the camera, another - also wearing a balaclava, stands in the background. 'Fear is everywhere': BBC reports from Mexican city turned into war zone by drug cartel feud Dr Giovana Guidicini tells BBC News how she escaped the shooting this week by scrambling down steep ledges at the Mexico tourist site. The spouses of illegal immigrants facing deportation must choose between separation or moving to a new country. The deadly shooting at a popular tourist site weeks before the World Cup has rocked Mexico. The incident is the latest in a series of US strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats. Hundreds of people are protesting against the UK military base being used in the Iran conflict. Simon Weston says reports the US is reviewing the UK's claim to the territory makes his sacrifice feel "irrelevant". Many died due to conditions at a warehouse they'd been shipped to, while others arrived dead, authorities say. Souring relations between Europe and the US have reared their Medusa-like head again, writes the BBC's Europe editor.