Chihuahua governor María Eugenia Campos Galván announced the creation of a special investigative unit on April 24, 2026, to examine a security operation in which two U.S. agents died, while declining to answer press questions about federal accusations that the operation violated national sovereignty.
The unit, led by Wendy Paola Chávez Villanueva, head of the state’s Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Women Victims of Gender-Based Violence, will investigate the April 17–19 operation in El Pinal, Morelos municipality, where authorities dismantled a synthetic drug laboratory linked to the Sinaloa Cartel. The operation resulted in the deaths of four people, including two U.S. agents identified as John Dudley Black, 44, and Richard Leiter Johnson, 36.
Federal authorities, including President Claudia Sheinbaum, have stated that allowing foreign agents to participate in domestic security operations violates Mexico’s Constitution and National Security Law. Sheinbaum said Campos Galván failed to return her calls requesting an explanation and reiterated that the governor must provide details about the operation’s coordination with U.S. entities.
According to state prosecutors, the operation began Friday afternoon and concluded Saturday morning, involving 40 state investigators and 40 army personnel who seized the clandestine facility. The state attorney general initially considered the raid a success and referred the case to federal authorities due to its classification as a federal crime, though he noted no prior coordination had occurred with the federal prosecutor’s office led by Ernestina Godoy.
The celebration of the operation’s success was short-lived. Early Sunday morning, as the convoy returned to Chihuahua City along treacherous mountain roads, the lead vehicle veered off the road and plunged into a ravine approximately 200 meters deep. Rescuers recovered the bodies of state investigator director Pedro Román Oseguera Cervantes, agent Manuel Genaro Méndez, and the two U.S. agents.
Initial state statements said the foreigners died “returning from the operation,” while U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson described their deaths as a reminder of the risks faced by officials protecting communities. Later, state prosecutors suggested the agents had been picked up by the convoy after training Mexican personnel in drone operation near the accident site, a version that introduced new questions about their presence and authorization.
The state governor emphasized that while the investigation proceeds, her administration will refrain from public commentary to preserve its integrity. She instructed Chávez Villanueva to periodically inform the public about investigative progress and results.
What legal basis exists for foreign agents to participate in Mexican security operations?
Mexican law requires explicit authorization and coordination with federal authorities for any foreign participation in domestic security operations, particularly when involving intelligence or law enforcement agencies; the absence of such coordination is under investigation.
Why did the state government refer the case to federal prosecutors?
The state attorney general referred the case to the federal prosecutor’s office because the operation involved a federal crime, despite initially calling it a success, and acknowledged that no prior coordination had occurred with federal prosecutors.
How are the two U.S. agents described in official statements?
Official state statements initially described the two U.S. individuals as foreigners who died returning from the operation, while later statements suggested they had been picked up by the convoy after providing drone training to Mexican personnel near the accident site.
