by the El Reportero staff
Mexico’s federal government is strongly denying reports that U.S. intelligence agencies participated in a deadly operation targeting an alleged cartel member near Mexico City, as tensions continue growing over security cooperation between Mexico and the United States.
The controversy began after CNN published a report claiming that the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had expanded covert anti-cartel activities in Mexico and may have been connected to an operation that resulted in the death of Francisco Beltrán, an alleged Sinaloa Cartel operative known as “El Payín.”
Beltrán died March 28 when an explosive device destroyed a vehicle traveling along the Mexico City-Pachuca highway. Another passenger was also killed in the blast. Mexican authorities initially treated the attack as part of ongoing organized crime violence tied to disputes between criminal groups.
International attention intensified after CNN cited anonymous U.S. officials who allegedly claimed that the CIA had increased intelligence and tactical operations against Mexican cartels through a specialized unit known as the Ground Branch.
The report suggested the agency may have provided surveillance, planning or operational support connected to actions against cartel members.
Mexico’s government quickly rejected the allegations.
Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said Mexico does not allow foreign agencies to carry out unilateral military or covert operations inside national territory.
“The Mexican government rejects any suggestion that foreign agencies conduct lethal operations inside our country,” García Harfuch said publicly.
President Claudia Sheinbaum also dismissed the claims during her daily press conference, criticizing what she described as irresponsible reporting by foreign media outlets.
“This information is false,” Sheinbaum said. “There is no evidence of operations of this type carried out by foreign agencies in Mexico.”
The CIA, which rarely comments publicly on intelligence matters, also issued a denial. U.S. officials reportedly warned that such reports could place intelligence personnel and bilateral cooperation efforts at risk.
Drug cartels continue controlling major trafficking routes while expanding into extortion, human smuggling, fuel theft and other criminal activities. Violence linked to rival criminal organizations remains a serious issue in Mexican states.
At the same time, political debate in the United States has intensified regarding how aggressively Washington should respond to cartel activity.
President Donald Trump and several Republican lawmakers have repeatedly argued that Mexican cartels should be treated as terrorist organizations.
Those comments have generated concern among Mexican political leaders, who view any unauthorized foreign intervention as a violation of national sovereignty.
Mexican officials insist that cooperation with the United States must remain limited to agreed intelligence sharing, training and coordinated law enforcement activities.
The issue became more sensitive following another incident earlier this year involving two U.S. personnel believed to be connected to intelligence operations in Mexico.
The individuals died in a vehicle crash in the northern state of Chihuahua after reportedly participating in an anti-drug mission alongside Mexican authorities. The incident raised questions about the extent of U.S. involvement in domestic Mexican security operations.
President Sheinbaum later stated that Mexico’s federal government had not been informed beforehand about the participation of the U.S. personnel involved in that operation.
Meanwhile, The New York Times separately reported that Mexican forces carried out the operation against Beltrán while U.S. agencies allegedly provided intelligence and logistical assistance. Mexican authorities also denied that version of events.
Experts note that intelligence collaboration between Mexico and the United States has existed for decades, but public acknowledgment of operational participation by U.S. agencies remains politically controversial inside Mexico because of the country’s history of defending its sovereignty from foreign intervention.
The controversy also comes as internal conflict within the Sinaloa Cartel continues escalating following arrests, extraditions and leadership struggles involving major cartel figures.
Violence among rival factions has increased in several regions as criminal groups compete for control over trafficking routes and illegal operations.
For now, both Mexico’s government and the CIA continue firmly denying that U.S. intelligence agencies participated directly in lethal operations on Mexican soil.
Despite those denials, the reports have fueled renewed debate in both countries over how far bilateral security cooperation should go in the continuing fight against organized crime.
– With reports from Mexico News Daily, CNN and international media sources.
