The deadly drug raid fuelling speculation about what the US is doing in Mexico

The deaths of two US officials in a counter-narcotics operation in northern Mexico have sparked uncertainty over the extent to which the Mexican government knew about Washington's involvement. 

The two officials, reportedly CIA agents, died alongside two local Mexican investigators in a car crash in the early hours of Sunday morning in the state of Chihuahua.

In the days following, authorities have given contradicting accounts of just how much Mexico's government knew about the US involvement in the operation, igniting tensions between Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and the White House.

Here is what we know so far.

What happened?

The two US officials and two members of the Chihuahua State Investigation Agency were returning from an operation to destroy cartel drug labs in Chihuahua – which borders the US states of Texas and New Mexico – when their vehicle skidded off the side of a ravine and exploded, local officials said.

The Associated Press, citing three sources it said were familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity, reported that the Americans, originally identified as US embassy officials, were in fact from the CIA.

The incident has since fuelled increased speculation over the US's role in the Latin American nation, with Ms Sheinbaum previously underscoring Mexico's sovereignty and publicly turning down offers from US President Donald Trump to intervene against drug cartels.

The Mexican government has acknowledged the presence of US agencies in the country but insists it cannot participate in on-the-ground operations.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration provided intelligence support for an operation that resulted in the death of notorious drug lord "El Mencho", which sparked widespread retaliatory violence across the country.

What has been said?

While Ms Sheinbaum confirmed on Wednesday that the Mexican army had participated in the operation, she insisted the federal government was unaware of any US presence and that Washington's involvement could therefore constitute a breach of Mexican law.

"There cannot be agents from any US government institution operating in the Mexican field," Ms Sheinbaum said during her daily press briefing.

She also indicated there could be possible sanctions on Chihuahua's government, saying: "It is very important that something like this not be allowed to go unaddressed."

Days earlier, Cesar Jauregui, Chihuahua's attorney general, had said the operation came following months of investigation by state prosecutors and Mexico's military.

Read more from Sky News:
Follow: Iran war latest
Pope tells prisoners 'you are not alone'

Ms Sheinbaum ruled out the possibility that the incident is part of a new strategy by the Trump administration, while Mexico's security secretary, Omar Garcia Harfuch, later said that, despite regularly exchanging information with the US, foreign "agents have never been in the field with us".

Mr Harfuch admitted the defence ministry had previously "received a petition for security support" from the US, but he said that "going to support an operation is different from actually being part of the planning of an operation".

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back on the Mexican president's comments in an interview with Fox News, saying that US efforts to counter cartels "is not only a benefit to the American people, but to her [Ms Sheinbaum's] people as well".

Ms Leavitt called for "sympathy" from Ms Sheinbaum, adding it would be "well worth it for the two American lives that were lost, considering all that the United States of America is doing currently under this president to stop the scourge of drug trafficking through Mexico to the US".

Since the crash on Sunday, the Trump administration has said very little about the incident, while the CIA has yet to comment.

In January, Mr Trump claimed "cartels are running Mexico" and promised action.

The US president has repeatedly said tackling the flow of drugs, specifically fentanyl, into the US is a priority for his administration.

(c) Sky News 2026: The deadly drug raid fuelling speculation about what the US is doing in Mexico