Mexico president attacks Reuters report on CIA’s role in country’s drug war
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum holds news conference in Mexico City
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Reuters
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday rejected claims from a recent Reuters investigation that the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is directly involved in Mexico’s military-led operations against drug cartels.
Speaking at her daily news conference, Sheinbaum acknowledged that the U.S. and Mexico share intelligence and cooperate on security matters. However, she denied that CIA agents are embedded in Mexican military operations — a claim she said was “totally false.”
“There is cooperation and coordination in information,” Sheinbaum said. “But it is not true that there are CIA agents in Mexican army operations.”
Reuters responded by saying Sheinbaum mischaracterized its reporting and stood firmly behind the article, which was published Wednesday. A spokesperson said: “Reuters stands by its report of earlier this week on the CIA’s secret role in combating Mexico’s drug cartels, which was mischaracterized today by the Mexican government.”
The investigation, based on interviews with more than 60 current and former U.S. and Mexican officials, reported that the CIA has conducted covert operations in Mexico for years. The agency has worked with elite units within the Mexican army and navy, providing training, surveillance tools, funding, and logistical support to help capture high-level drug traffickers. These operations, the report noted, are carried out by Mexican personnel with full approval from Mexico’s government — not by U.S. agents.
The article also detailed that while the CIA’s role is significant, all capture missions are authorized by Mexican authorities and executed by their own forces.
Sheinbaum’s comments mark her first public response to the investigation. Prior to publication, neither her office nor the Mexican Army responded to Reuters’ requests for comment or detailed questions.
In the original article, the Mexican Navy said it maintains “knowledge exchange and cooperation with navies, maritime forces, and other agencies from various countries” to improve security coordination and operational capabilities.
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