César Jáuregui detained over US personnel in Mexican security operation
Former Chihuahua prosecutor César Jáuregui was detained in an investigation into an April security operation involving US personnel. State authorities alleged failures in command arrangements, while federal prosecutor Ernestina Godoy announced a separate treason accusation over unauthorized foreign participation. Jáuregui denies wrongdoing. The case follows a dispute over state and federal authority in security cooperation.
Geopolitics··Night
Former prosecutor detained in Chihuahua
César Jáuregui, the former chief prosecutor of Mexico's northern Chihuahua state, was detained on 17 October over an April security operation involving US personnel. State investigators alleged failures in command arrangements and applicable procedures. The operation took place in El Pinal, a settlement in Chihuahua's Morelos municipality. Gilberto Loya, who now heads the state prosecutor's office, said the inquiry concerned how the operation was conducted rather than its results.[1], [2]
Loya cited provisions of the state criminal code concerning unlawful exercise of public functions and coordination among officials to breach rules. His account also included allegations involving information or documents under official custody. Jáuregui denied wrongdoing in a statement released during the week. He said he believed he had committed no offence, whether the state or federal authorities sought to hold him responsible.[1]
Federal authorities announce a separate accusation
Federal Attorney General Ernestina Godoy said Jáuregui would also face an accusation of treason. She alleged that foreign personnel had been permitted to act without authorization on Mexican territory in activities reserved for federal forces. Godoy presented that alleged participation as an attack on sovereignty and national integrity. These are the federal prosecution's allegations; the accounts do not report a conviction. The state investigation and the announced federal accusation concern different legal grounds surrounding the same operation.[2]
An April road accident exposed the US presence
A road accident on the return journey through the Sierra Tarahumara mountains in Chihuahua brought the Americans' presence to public attention. State authorities initially described them as embassy workers providing training, then said they had joined the vehicle after the raid. The federal government opened an inquiry into their entry and activities. Jáuregui resigned in April, amid a dispute between President Claudia Sheinbaum's government and Governor Maru Campos over security cooperation. His detention also drew supporters outside Chihuahua's justice tribunal; they called him a political prisoner and criticized Campos.[1], [2]
Jáuregui had served as Campos's state government secretary before becoming chief prosecutor. He belongs to the National Action Party, as does the governor. Before his detention he publicly expressed interest in becoming the party's candidate for mayor of Chihuahua, an ambition Campos reportedly opposed. His supporters' protest outside the tribunal exposed divisions within the same party over his arrest.[1], [2]
