Two US Embassy officials killed in Mexico car accident were working for CIA

Two US Embassy officials killed in a car crash in Mexico following a daring raid on a secret drug lab were working for the CIA at the time, according to security officials.

The pair, who haven’t been named, were killed along with two Mexican officials when their car plunged 600 feet off a cliff and burst into flames early on Sunday morning, the Washington Post reported, citing sources familiar with the incident.

Their vehicle was part of a convoy of six navigating the narrow mountainous roads in northern Mexico’s Chihuahua state as they returned from an operation to shut down a clandestine drug laboratory.

It skidded off the road and plunged down a ravine before exploding, according to Mexican officials.

The two CIA officials were working alongside Mexican authorities as part of the agency’s expanded and more aggressive role in counternarcotics under President Trump, according to the sources.

They supervised but did not participate directly in the Mexican raid on the lab, described as “perhaps one of the largest ever located” by Chihuahua’s attorney general, César Jáuregui Moreno.

Mexico’s left-wing President, Claudia Sheinbaum, claimed in a statement that she was “unaware of any direct collaboration between the state of Chihuahua and personnel from the US Embassy in Mexico.”

“The relationship is federal, not state. They must have authorization from the federal government for this collaboration, which necessarily takes place at the state level, as established by the Constitution,” she added.

The CIA has yet to comment publicly on the news or confirm the deaths of two agents.

The US Ambassador to Mexico confirmed the news in a social media post on Sunday.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of two US Embassy personnel, the Director of Chihuahua’s State Investigation Agency (AEI), and an AEI officer in this accident.” Ambassador Ronald Johnson — who worked for the CIA for 20 years — wrote on X.

“This tragedy is a solemn reminder of the risks faced by those Mexican and US officials who are dedicated to protecting our communities,” he added.

President Trump has called on Mexico to take more action against the drug cartels.

As part of CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s increased focus on tackling drug gangs, the agency has shared more intelligence with Mexican anti-drug units and increased training for local forces, according to current and former officials.

That work has also included flying unarmed MQ-9 Reaper drones over Mexico to help track cartel leaders and local drug labs in remote areas of the country.

“Countering drug cartels in Mexico and regionally is a priority for the CIA as a part of the Trump Administration’s broader efforts to end the grave threat from narco-trafficking. Director Ratcliffe is determined to put the CIA’s unique expertise to work against this multifaceted challenge,” the agency told CNN in a statement last year.