Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has ordered an investigation into the role played by two US officials in a counter-narcotics operation in the northern state of Chihuahua.
The two died alongside two Mexican officials when their car crashed on their way back from an operation to destroy illegal drug labs, Chihuahua officials said.
Sheinbaum stated that neither she nor senior members of the federal security team had been informed about any joint US-Mexican operations.
The Mexican leader emphasized that foreign officials can only operate on Mexican soil if given prior clearance at the federal level.
Under pressure from US President Donald Trump to do more in combating drug trafficking, Sheinbaum reiterated that Mexico's sovereignty must not be compromised.
On Monday, she pointed out, we did not have knowledge of any direct work between Chihuahua state and personnel from the US embassy.
She described the need to understand the specifics of the incident and to assess any potential legal implications.
According to a Chihuahua state official, the US nationals and two members of the Chihuahua State Investigation Agency (AEI) perished on Sunday morning when their vehicle skidded off the road and fell into a ravine, causing an explosion.
The US ambassador in Mexico, Ronald Johnson, confirmed that the two Americans were US embassy personnel.
Chihuahua State Attorney-General César Jáuregui referred to them as instructor officers from the US embassy involved in training work related to ongoing collaborations with US authorities.
He elaborated that the accident occurred as they returned from an operation targeting clandestine labs aimed at producing synthetic drugs.
When questioned on Monday about the US officials' involvement, he noted that they had been engaged in basic training work, about eight or nine hours away from the site where the drug lab operation took place.
Sheinbaum mentioned that her government had reached out to both the US embassy and Chihuahua state officials for clarity to determine if the operation breached any Mexican national security laws that prohibit joint operations without federal approval.
She underscored that while collaboration exists with the US in terms of intelligence sharing, there are strictly no joint operations conducted on land or air.
