Report: CIA Officers Killed in Mexico Were Leaving Drug Raid

Two US embassy officials killed in a car crash in northern Mexico over the weekend were CIA employees tied to a ramped-up US role in the region's drug war, sources familiar with the matter tell the Washington Post, CNN, and New York Times. The Sunday accident in Chihuahua state also reportedly killed two officials from the State Investigation Agency, including the agency's director. Outlets reported the four were returning from a raid on what local authorities described as one of the largest clandestine drug labs ever found in the area. Mexican officials said their vehicle veered off a road, plunged into a ravine, and exploded.

President Claudia Sheinbaum said her security cabinet was not told of any US collaboration with the state government in a potential violation of Mexico's national security rules. Chihuahua's attorney general said the Americans, in Mexico for training work, did not take part in the raid itself and only met with officials afterward. The CIA declined to comment. The deaths come as the agency has been increasing training and intelligence-sharing with Mexican units as part of a broader, politically sensitive US push against narcotics networks in Latin America. US Ambassador Ronald Johnson called the crash a reminder of the risks officials face in the joint effort.