President Claudia Sheinbaum has denied media reports suggesting that U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operatives directly participated in a deadly operation targeting drug cartels on Mexican territory.
Sheinbaum said at a press conference Wednesday morning that CNN and New York Times reports about such activity are fictitious.
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The CIA has also denied the report, but CNN said it stands by the report.
“Imagine how big the lie would be if the CIA itself had to come out and dismiss this story,” Sheinbaum told reporters. She similarly called the New York Times report “a cosmic piece of fiction.”
This was the highest level of rejection from the Mexican government since Tuesday’s filing.
Mr. Sheinbaum continues to insist that U.S. law enforcement officials do not directly participate in operations on Mexican territory, despite reports suggesting otherwise.
CNN reported on Tuesday, citing anonymous sources, that the CIA was engaged in an “expanded and previously unreported” operation against cartels in Mexico, including direct participation in targeted assassinations.
The report notes that an explosion occurred in March 2026, killing Francisco Beltrán, a member of the Sinaloa cartel, and his driver.
Mexico’s security law requires foreign agents to receive permission from the federal government to operate in the country.
However, a CNN report suggested that some of the CIA’s activities may not have been coordinated with the Mexican government.
The Sheinbaum administration has acknowledged sharing intelligence with the United States, but has denied the possibility of U.S. forces operating without authorization on Mexican territory.
A recent CNN report sparked condemnation on both sides of the US-Mexico border.
In a social media post, CIA spokeswoman Liz Lyons called the report “nothing more than a cartel PR campaign and a false and despicable report that endangers American lives.”
Meanwhile, Mexican Security Secretary Omar Halfucci acknowledged that cooperation between the two governments “certainly exists.” However, he also insisted that CNN’s report was inaccurate.
“The Mexican government categorically rejects any statements that seek to normalize, justify, or imply the existence of lethal, covert, or unilateral operations within its territory by foreign entities,” he said on social media.
CNN said it stands by the accuracy of its reporting. The report is the latest incident in which CIA agents are rumored to be operating in Mexico without authorization from the Mexican federal government.
In April, for example, two U.S. officials widely believed to have been CIA agents were killed in a car crash while returning from a raid on a drug facility with Mexican security forces.
The Sheinbaum administration denied knowledge of CIA involvement in the counter-drug operation and called for an investigation into the incident.
Meanwhile, authorities in Chihuahua maintain that they were simply given a ride to the airport by Mexican law enforcement officers after two U.S. officials supervised instruction on how to operate the drone.
But since President Donald Trump took office for a second term in 2025, questions have grown about possible covert U.S. operations in Mexican territory.
President Trump has used tariffs on imported goods as leverage to influence Mexico’s policies in areas such as crime, border enforcement and drug trafficking.
He also threatened to take unilateral action against Mexican criminal networks, despite Sheinbaum’s claims that such action would violate the country’s sovereignty.
“We have to eradicate them,” President Trump said of Mexican cartels in March.
“They’re getting worse and worse, so we have to beat them to the teeth. They’re taking over the country. Cartels are running Mexico. We can’t do that. They’re getting too close to us, too close to you.”
Mexico and the United States have long cooperated on counter-drug efforts in the form of intelligence sharing and security cooperation, but direct U.S. involvement has been seen as a red line in a country with a long history of U.S. intervention.
