Report: Mexican Officials Considered Concealing CIA Agents' Bodies After Deadly Operation

As Mexican and U.S. authorities continue investigating the deaths of alleged CIA agents during an operation to dismantle a clandestine drug lab in the border state of Chihuahua, an investigative journalist said Mexican officials briefly considered concealing the agents' bodies.

"There was a sense of panic," investigative journalist Ioan Grillo told Infobae México. Grillo said that, based on interviews with U.S. agents familiar with the case, officials at the scene discussed moving or hiding the bodies, which had been severely damaged.

"In the immediate aftermath, there was talk of moving the bodies, almost as a reaction in a moment of panic," Grillo said, adding that Mexican officials feared the deaths of two CIA agents could trigger a major scandal, though they ultimately chose not to act.

As previously reported by The Latin Times, the operation took place between April 16 and April 19. Chihuahua state officials said the four individuals who died in the crash were returning from a meeting with Mexican authorities after a successful operation to dismantle the lab. Two of them were identified as CIA agents and the other two as Mexican officials, although unofficial reports suggest all four victims worked for the U.S. agency.

The incident has fueled political tensions in Mexico, as the Sheinbaum administration has repeatedly said the bilateral security agreement with the United States limits foreign agents to intelligence roles, not field operations.

According to Grillo's sources, the CIA agents were wearing uniforms from Chihuahua's State Investigation Agency, contradicting earlier reports that suggested they had not directly participated in the operation.

Grillo also reported that some officers initially believed the U.S. personnel were agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration, not the CIA.

"Some of the agents on the ground didn't think they were CIA at first. They assumed they were DEA," Grillo said. "They don't identify themselves, and because they're Americans, people tend to think they're DEA and feel more at ease, since that's something they're used to seeing in Mexico."

According to state prosecutor Wendy Paola Chávez Villanueva, appointed by Chihuahua Gov. María Eugenia Campos Galván to investigate the case, the CIA agents' involvement was not reported to senior command or the State Investigation Agency. She said the only person aware of their involvement was director Pedro Oseguera Cervantes, who also died alongside the two U.S. agents in the vehicle crash.

In interviews conducted by Chávez with officers who took part in the operation, witnesses said the agents were not wearing State Investigation Agency insignias or carrying firearms, contradicting Grillo's account.

"Up to this point, there is no indication to suggest that during the operation the foreign individuals identified themselves, presented themselves or acted as members of any national or foreign security agency," Chávez said during a news conference.

Addressing the conflicting accounts about the presence of the U.S. agents, Grillo said the discrepancies reflect an attempt to downplay or conceal foreign involvement, which would be illegal under Mexican law if agents participated in operational activities.

"I think they want to hide it because, first, it's illegal, and second, it would be very convenient to say that the only person who knew is dead and can no longer be held accountable," Grillo said.

As the case continues to raise questions about whether Mexico's national security laws were violated, President Claudia Sheinbaum said April 28 that the United States had responded to Mexico's diplomatic request for information about the presence of two foreign agents in Chihuahua.

"Yes, they are providing information, and in their response they clearly tell us they want to respect Mexican law and the Constitution," she said.

Since the incident was first reported, Sheinbaum has reiterated that Mexico's Attorney General's Office will continue investigating in order to clarify the role the U.S. agents played in the operation.