A former prosecutor in Mexico's Chihuahua state, who had helped open the door to covert American intelligence officers hunting cartel targets, has slipped across the northern border under American protection, leaving behind a country that feels its sovereignty was quietly bargained away. The episode is one more chapter in a long and uneasy history between Mexico and its powerful neighbor, where the fight against organized crime keeps pulling foreign agencies toward operations the Mexican state has publicly refused. Two officers died in a car crash in April, and that accident tore the secrecy o
Mexican Prosecutor Who Aided C.I.A. Operations in Chihuahua Flees to U.S. Under Protection
Two C.I.A. officers died in an April car crash that exposed the covert operation; former attorney general César Jáuregui is held in a maximum-security prison.
The door the C.I.A. used in Chihuahua has now fled through its own
Mark
Why does one prosecutor's flight matter so much?
Mimi
Because he was the door. The C.I.A. saw him as a partner who could let it operate quietly in Chihuahua, and now he's under U.S. protection while Mexico wants him arrested.
Mark
What did the officers actually do there?
Mimi
Trained state forces, joined missions, advised on positioning agents. Some were armed, and one carried a rifle during safe-house entries, per Mexican officials who were there.
Luke
Worth noting those details come from Mexican officials and a warrant request, which is an accusation document, not a verdict.
Mark
And the officers didn't fight?
Mimi
The warrant request and officials say they mostly provided intelligence and direction, often through Zuany.
Luke
The odd part is the visa. It was canceled over alleged cartel ties, then reinstated after he helped the agency. That sequence is reported, but nobody has explained the reasoning.
Mark
Do we know where he is?
Mimi
No. His whereabouts were unclear Thursday.
Luke
And the F.B.I. investigation's status is unknown. Calling it protection comes from officials speaking anonymously, so we don't know its terms.
Mark
What comes next?
Mimi
Whether the U.S. extradites or shields him, and how Sheinbaum responds.
El Pulso
- A former state prosecutor now sits beyond Mexico's reach, under American protection, while Mexican authorities press for his arrest.
- Two C.I.A. officers died in an April crash that ripped open a covert operation the Mexican president had publicly rejected.
- Former attorney general César Jáuregui is jailed on treason charges in a maximum-security prison, a stark sign of how far the scandal has spread.
- Sheinbaum's government is juggling fury over sovereignty with the delicate question of whether Washington will shield or surrender the fugitive.
A former prosecutor in Mexico's Chihuahua state, who had helped open the door to covert American intelligence officers hunting cartel targets, has slipped across the northern border under American protection, leaving behind a country that feels its sovereignty was quietly bargained away. The episode is one more chapter in a long and uneasy history between Mexico and its powerful neighbor, where the fight against organized crime keeps pulling foreign agencies toward operations the Mexican state has publicly refused. Two officers died in a car crash in April, and that accident tore the secrecy open, turning a shadowy partnership into a national reckoning over who really holds authority on Mexican soil. What happens next depends on whether Washington chooses to protect this man or return him to the justice he is fleeing.
A former Mexican state prosecutor, once wanted for arrest at home, is now in the United States under American protection. Guillermo Zuany Portillo fled north after Mexican authorities moved against him for his work with the Central Intelligence Agency in Chihuahua. No one outside government can say where he is.
A New York Times investigation laid out what he did. For more than six months he guided C.I.A. officers as they trained Chihuahua state forces, joined counter-cartel missions and advised on ground operations. The Americans were not mere observers: some carried rifles, wore tactical gear and state insignia, and fed real-time intelligence to police who entered safe houses. They did not engage in combat, but they directed the work, often through Zuany.
This ran directly against the position of President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has said foreign forces should not operate on Mexican ground. The cover collapsed in April, when a crash killed two C.I.A. officers. An investigation found it was an accident, but the political damage was immediate. Zuany resigned, and his former boss, ex-attorney general César Jáuregui, was arrested on treason charges and now sits in a maximum-security prison.
Zuany's position in Washington was itself tangled. His U.S. visa was canceled late last year over alleged cartel ties, then reinstated after his work with the agency. The status of an F.B.I. inquiry remains unclear. Sheinbaum says investigations must continue, and the Chihuahua governor has acknowledged serious control failures.
Now the questions are whether Washington shields him or hands him back, and how Mexico answers a breach it considers an insult to its sovereignty.
A former Mexican state prosecutor wanted for arrest at home is now in the United States, under the protection of the American government. According to U.S. and Mexican officials, Guillermo Zuany Portillo fled north after Mexican authorities moved against him for his work with the Central Intelligence Agency in Chihuahua. As of Thursday, nobody outside the government could say where in the United States he was.
A New York Times investigation published this week described what Zuany did. Beginning last year, he shepherded C.I.A. officers for more than six months while they trained Chihuahua state forces, joined them on counter-cartel missions and supplied expertise during ground operations. Mexican officials say one officer watched state agents practice tactical drills, analyzed their equipment and joined their workouts. Others went out with Zuany and police units on operations against drug trafficking targets.
The officers were not simply observers. According to Mexican officials who were present, some were armed. On the way to one mission in March, Zuany and an American believed to be a C.I.A. officer discussed how to position state agents, a Chihuahua official told state prosecutors, according to the request for Zuany's arrest warrant. On another occasion, an officer carried a rifle and provided security as state police entered safe houses searching for traffickers. The Americans generally wore tactical gear, and in several cases jackets bearing Chihuahua state insignia. They often carried computers or tablets that appeared to give them real-time information. They did not engage in combat, the warrant request and officials said; mostly they supplied intelligence and direction, often through Zuany.
The arrangement ran against the stated position of Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, who has repeatedly said she does not want U.S. forces taking part in operations on the ground in Mexico and has called it a breach of sovereignty. Under the Trump administration, the C.I.A. sought to expand its activity in the country and saw Zuany as a partner who could help it do so quietly.
The cover collapsed in April, when a car crash killed two C.I.A. officers. The deaths set off a national scandal and led to Zuany's resignation. An investigation determined the crash was an accident, but the political damage was done. Sheinbaum expressed fury at the agency's presence during raids in Chihuahua and denied knowing about its activities.
Mexican authorities have since acted. Chihuahua state police arrested Zuany's former boss, former attorney general César Jáuregui, on treason charges, accusing him of welcoming the American agency into the state. He is now in a maximum-security prison. Zuany fled to the United States to avoid the same fate, officials said. Security minister Omar García Harfuch told a daily news conference, in response to the Times investigation, that the federal government has also issued an arrest order for Zuany.
Zuany's relationship with Washington has been complicated. The U.S. canceled his visa late last year, accusing him of ties to Mexican cartels in Chihuahua, according to a letter the Mexican government sent to the F.B.I. and people familiar with his visa status. After he facilitated the C.I.A.'s partnership with Mexican forces, the visa was reinstated late last year, Mexican and American officials said. The letter says the F.B.I. had been investigating him over alleged organized crime ties, but the status of that case is unclear. The F.B.I. did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and Zuany did not respond either. The officials and others spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss the case.
On Wednesday, Sheinbaum said investigations must continue. "It's worth finding out who this person is and how he worked with one of the U.S. agencies," she said. The office of Chihuahua Governor Maru Campos called the accusations against Zuany and Jáuregui "a serious failure" and said she has taken responsibility for correcting the controls that made it possible.
What to watch is whether Washington shields Zuany or hands him over, and how Sheinbaum's government handles the sovereignty fallout.
Citas Notables
It's worth finding out who this person is and how he worked with one of the U.S. agencies.— Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexican president
Quieres la nota completa?
Lee el original en The New York Times ↗