US Embassy Personnel Died After Anti-drug Operation Fall, Mexican President: Government Received No Notice of Operation

Two US embassy personnel and two Mexican investigators died in a car accident in northern Mexico following an anti-drug operation. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated today that the government was unaware of their presence in the country. AFP reported that Sheinbaum told reporters, "We were not notified." The US had stated the previous day that two embassy personnel and two Mexican investigators died in a car accident in Chihuahua state. Sheinbaum added that these US personnel were operating under the orders of the Chihuahua state government. She said, "The (federal) security cabinet was not aware of this operation." She stated that the Mexican government is requesting information from the United States and the Chihuahua state government to investigate whether the operation involved any violations of national security. Chihuahua state prosecutor Cesar Jauregui said yesterday that after a three-month investigation, law enforcement agencies raided six illegal drug production sites in the Morelos region of Chihuahua on April 17th and 18th. Jauregui said the two deceased Americans were "instructor-level personnel" responsible for conducting training missions as part of US-Mexico anti-drug cooperation. (Compiled by Chen Yu-ting) 1150421