Mexico City
Two instructors from the United States Embassy in Mexico City and two Mexican agents died on Sunday in a car accident in Chihuahua after an operation targeting a clandestine drug laboratory, authorities said.
The victims were part of Chihuahua’s State Investigation Agency (AEI) and a training program with the US embassy, the state’s attorney general, César Jáuregui Moreno said.
Among the deceased are the AEI regional director, Pedro Ramón Oseguera Cervantes, and his bodyguard, Manuel Genaro Méndez Montes, as well as two instructors from the United States Embassy in Mexico.
The accident occurred on the Chihuahua–Ciudad Juárez highway, when the officials were returning from an operation in the municipality of Morelos, where state authorities dismantled a drug-processing laboratory, according to initial reports.
Jáuregui Moreno confirmed that the two US instructors were participating in training work as part of a regular exchange of security cooperation.
“Sadly, two embassy officials who are instructors from the U.S. embassy also died, who were carrying out training work,” he said.
The United States ambassador to Mexico, Ronald Johnson, in a message on X, mourned the deaths and said the victims had devoted their efforts to confronting “one of the greatest challenges of our time.”
“This tragedy is a solemn reminder of the risks faced by those Mexican and US officials who are dedicated to protecting our communities,” Johnson added. “It strengthens our resolve to continue their mission and advance our shared commitment to security and justice, to protect our people.”
The accident occurs amid bilateral security cooperation between Mexico and the US, which includes joint operations against drug trafficking in regions with a strong presence of organized crime such as Chihuahua.
Authorities have not yet detailed the causes of the accident.
