Mexico’s government and the CIA have rejected a CNN report alleging that U.S. intelligence officers directly participated in lethal operations against suspected drug cartel members inside Mexico.
The report claimed CIA operatives had been involved in several attacks on cartel targets over the past year, including a March car explosion that killed Francisco Beltrán, an alleged Sinaloa Cartel member. CNN cited unnamed sources and said U.S. involvement ranged from intelligence support to direct participation in assassination operations.
CIA spokesperson Liz Lyons dismissed the report as “false and salacious,” saying it served as “a PR campaign for the cartels” and endangered American lives.
Mexico’s Security Secretary, Omar García Harfuch, also denied the claims, saying Mexico “categorically rejects” any suggestion that foreign agencies are carrying out lethal, covert or unilateral operations on Mexican territory. He said security cooperation with the United States exists, but only under principles of sovereignty, shared responsibility, mutual trust and institutional coordination.
The denials come amid heightened tensions over U.S.-Mexico security cooperation. Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has expanded pressure on Latin American drug trafficking groups, designating several cartels as terrorist organisations and authorising military strikes on alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific. Critics have warned that the policy risks bypassing due process and violating international law.
Mexico has been especially sensitive to any suggestion of unilateral U.S. action on its soil. Under a 2020 Mexican law, foreign agents operating in the country must share information with Mexican authorities and do not enjoy automatic diplomatic immunity.
President Claudia Sheinbaum previously threatened sanctions against authorities in Chihuahua after reports that CIA personnel took part in raids on clandestine drug laboratories without proper federal notification. That controversy intensified after two Americans reportedly linked to the CIA died in a car crash following one such operation.
For Washington, intelligence cooperation with Mexico is central to efforts to disrupt fentanyl, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine trafficking. For Mexico City, the issue is politically explosive because of the country’s long history of resisting foreign security intervention.
The latest dispute underscores the fragile balance between cooperation and sovereignty. Both governments say they are working together against organised crime, but Mexico insists that any operation on its territory must be led by Mexican authorities and conducted within Mexican law.
