FGR leads investigation into alleged irregularities in a Chihuahua operation involving U.S. citizens.
The Attorney General’s Office has taken over the investigation to clarify potential liabilities arising from the involvement of U.S. citizens in an operation carried out in the mountains of Chihuahua, where a clandestine laboratory allegedly linked to the production of synthetic drugs was located.
According to a statement made by Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, it is up to the federal authorities to determine whether provisions of the Constitution and the National Security Law were violated during these actions.
Federal investigation at the center of the case
The presidential statement came after state authorities insisted there was no formal notification of the presence of foreign personnel during the deployment.
In response, the head of the Executive Branch emphasized that, regardless of local accounts, the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) will determine precisely whether there were omissions, improper authorizations, or actions that exceeded the current legal framework regarding international cooperation and public security.
According to information released in recent days, the federal investigation includes interviews with ministerial staff and officials from various areas of the Chihuahua government, with the aim of reconstructing how the operation was organized, who was aware of the foreigners’ participation, and under what criteria their presence was permitted in an action reserved for Mexican authorities.
This process also seeks to clarify whether there was an overreach of federal jurisdiction, as well as possible failures in the protocols for securing, handing over, and maintaining the chain of custody of the evidence obtained.
The case has reignited the debate about the limits of foreign agencies’ cooperation on Mexican soil and the obligation for any coordination mechanism to fully comply with Mexican law.
In this context, the federal government’s position has been to insist that bilateral security cooperation cannot be carried out outside of institutional procedures or without the knowledge of the competent authorities.
While the investigation continues, attention is focused on the results presented by the Attorney General’s Office, the body that will have to determine whether there were administrative, criminal, or constitutional liabilities in one of the most sensitive recent episodes in the discussion about sovereignty, legality, and the actions of foreign forces in Mexico.
