2 U.S. Agents Died After a Chihuahua Drug-Lab Raid: Ex-State Prosecutor César Jáuregui Arrested Over the CIA-Linked Operation — His Former Investigations Chief Is on the Run
Police in Chihuahua City arrested César Jáuregui Moreno, Chihuahua’s former state prosecutor, on Saturday, Oct. 17. The charges stem from the April drug-lab raid in the Sierra Tarahumara that ended with two U.S. agents dead. Mexican media describe the two as CIA agents. A state warrant accuses Jáuregui of illegally exercising public office and of “coalición,” a conspiracy-type offense among officials, El Financiero and Excélsior reported on Oct. 17. He has not been convicted and will face a control judge at an initial hearing.
What prosecutors say
Gilberto Loya Chávez, acting head of the Chihuahua Attorney General’s Office, announced the case, according to El Financiero. Investigators are looking at how the operation was organized and carried out, possible failures in the chain of command, and protocols that were not followed. “A good result does not justify breaking the law,” Loya said, as quoted by El Financiero.
Excélsior, citing the National Detention Registry, said Jáuregui was stopped while driving on the La Cantera avenue bridge where it crosses Washington street. A second warrant names Guillermo Arturo Zuany Portillo, former director of the State Investigation Agency. He is accused of making false statements to authorities and is a fugitive, Excélsior and Telediario reported.
The April raid and the crash
Telediario’s Oct. 17 timeline says that on April 17–18, state agents and Mexico’s Defense Ministry dismantled six clandestine synthetic-drug labs in El Pinal, in the municipality of Morelos. On April 19, a lead vehicle lost control on a dirt road near Polanco. The crash killed State Investigation Agency director Pedro Román Oseguera, agent Manuel Genaro Méndez and two U.S. agents.
Accounts differ on how many Americans were there. El Financiero says two CIA agents took part. Excélsior reports that Wendy Chávez, head of the unit investigating the operation, has confirmed four agents were present. Chávez said they took no part in logistics or in seizing and destroying the labs.
President Claudia Sheinbaum said the federal government had not known about any joint operation with the U.S. Embassy. Jáuregui resigned on April 27 and testified before federal prosecutors (FGR) in Ciudad Juárez, across from El Paso, on May 27, Telediario reported.
Sources
- El Financiero, Oct. 17, 2026
- Excélsior, Oct. 17, 2026
- Telediario, Oct. 17, 2026
- Photos: Cuartoscuro, via El Financiero; Hectorvillalobs, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
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Reported Oct. 18, 2026, from Mexican media accounts. The U.S. agents have not been named. We found no U.S. government statement on the arrest and no public comment from Jáuregui or his lawyers.