The Mexican government and the CIA have rejected a CNN report claiming that US intelligence agents participated in targeted assassinations of alleged drug cartel members in the Latin American country. The denials came after CNN alleged that CIA operatives had 'directly participated' in several attacks on drug trafficking syndicates since last year, including a car explosion in March that killed Francisco Beltran, an alleged member of the Sinaloa Cartel.
According to CNN, the operations targeted mostly mid-level cartel members, with CIA involvement ranging from 'passive intelligence sharing' to 'direct participation in assassination operations'. CIA spokesperson Liz Lyons called the report 'false and salacious', stating it 'serves as nothing more than a PR campaign for the cartels and puts American lives at risk'. Mexico's Security Secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch also challenged the report, saying the government 'categorically rejects any version that seeks to normalize, justify, or suggest the existence of lethal, covert, or unilateral operations by foreign agencies on national territory'.
Since returning to the White House in January last year, US President Donald Trump has pursued an aggressive campaign against Latin American drug trafficking gangs, which critics say has overstepped legal and presidential norms. The Trump regime has designated nine Latin America-based drug gangs as 'terrorist' organizations and launched dozens of airstrikes on boats suspected of ferrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, killing more than 190 people.
The anti-drug trafficking drive has been a source of friction with Mexico. Last month, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum threatened to sanction authorities in the border state of Chihuahua for permitting CIA personnel to participate in raids on clandestine drug laboratories. Sheinbaum claimed that she and other senior members of her government had not been notified of US involvement in the operations, which came to light after two Americans reportedly working for the CIA died in a car crash following a counter-narcotics raid.
Under a 2020 Mexican law, foreign agents operating in the country are required to share information with the government and do not enjoy diplomatic immunity. The CNN report and subsequent denials highlight the delicate balance between security cooperation and national sovereignty in the US-Mexico relationship.
Source: www.aljazeera.com