Chihuahua AG resigns more than a week after large drug lab was found south of the state

CIUDAD JUÁREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) -- Chihuahua Attorney General César Jáuregui Moreno placed his resignation on Monday, days after the State Investigation Agency (AEI), along with Mexico's Defense Department (SEDENA) and several U.S. officials, discovered two drug labs south of the state on April 18.

The drug lab was discovered around 400 miles south of the Juárez - El Paso border.

The state of Chihuahua has been in communication with the Mexican federal government over an ongoing investigation to discover exactly what happened and how two CIA agents were involved in the operation.

The U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Ronald Johnson, has been very vocal about what happened with the two U.S. and two Mexican officials who died during this operation. He also spoke in Sinaloa last week; here are his remarks.

Today, the Mexico Attorney General's Office (FGR) issued a news release saying it is currently conducting two investigations regarding the events that took place at 'Sierra Pinal' in Chihuahua and the statements made by the former Attorney General of Chihuahua, Jáuregui.

"The federal investigation was initiated following a communication from that state A.G.'s office regarding the discovery of an open-air facility—located between the municipalities of Morelos and Guachochi—dedicated to the manufacture of synthetic narcotics. The second investigation was initiated based on a criminal report, following a news conference held by the Chihuahua A.G. on April 19, as well as information shared during the Chihuahua State Security Roundtable," FGR's news release states.

According to Mexico's Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), Secretariat of the Navy (SEMAR), Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA), Mexico Attorney's Office (FGR) and Mexico's National Guard (GN), neither U.S. officials had immigration permits, nor governmental clearance to operate in Mexico.

"According to available immigration records, one of them entered the country as a visitor, without permission to engage in remunerated activities, and the other with a diplomatic passport. Neither possessed formal accreditation to participate in operational activities within Mexican national territory," the news release says.

Chihuahua Governor Maru Campos has named Francisco Sáenz as interim Chihuahua AG while they look for someone to take over the State's Attorney General's Office (FGE).

ABC-7 spoke with former U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Texas and retired El Paso Police Department Deputy Chief, Robert Almonte, who said his thoughts and prayers go out to the two U.S. and two Mexican officials who died during this tragic incident in Chihuahua. Almonte also gave his insight, saying he was not surprised to hear that these two U.S. federal agents were collaborating with the Mexican authorities.

"The United States Marshals Service was heavily involved in locating 'Chapo' Guzmán this last time that he was arrested and extradited, but the United States Marshals assigned to Mexico were heavily involved in locating or pinpointing 'Chapo' Guzmán's location, leading the Mexican authorities to his location and allowing them to place them under arrest," Almonte said. "So this is nothing new, you've got to keep in mind there are several U.S. law enforcement agencies working in Mexico, they're working in Mexico, and they're working with the Mexican authorities."

Almonte also mentioned that U.S. federal law enforcement agencies recently provided critical intelligence to Mexican authorities, allowing them to find 'El Mencho' in Guadalajara, allowing them to find his location and end up eventually killing him during an operation.

"I don't see the binational relationship stopping, I really don't, because if the relationship were to stop, then the winners are going to be the criminals, the cartel members, everybody selling drugs and killing people, and with the drug lab that was recently discovered; so, I don't see it stopping," Almonte said. "But let me say, I know President Sheinbaum is, in my opinion, making it look like, well, we were not aware that the CIA officials were there, let me tell you, those CIA officials would not be there without the knowledge of the Mexican authorities that were involved in this investigation (Chihuahua officials); there's no doubt about that."

"So this was not anything that the U.S. secretly did or anything like that. Unfortunately, it's making the news because tragically, these agents lost their lives."

Almonte says there are still a lot of questions around this incident and the current investigations being conducted by the Mexican Attorney's Office (FGR) and he says he doesn't have a lot of faith in Mexico conducting an effective investigation in this case.

"I find it hard to believe that the Mexican government was not aware of it, and if they're saying the CIA agents were assisting the state authority, then I don't think it's the responsibility of the agent to make sure the Mexican government knows the chain of command, I think it's incumbent upon the state officials in Mexico to make sure that the proper notification had been made to the federal government," Almonte added.

He also spoke about how common it is for U.S. and Mexican law enforcement to be collaborating on a day-to-day basis.

"That's extremely common, this is something that happens every single day, where U.S. federal agencies assigned throughout Mexico are working with Mexican authorities and providing, as we mentioned earlier, critical intelligence information to assist Mexican authorities in taking down these drug labs or making some arrests; it's very common," Almonte added. "Let me say this also, if it were not for all of the critical information provided by U.S. law enforcement assigned in Mexico, things would be much worse in Mexico; you think they're bad now? If we were not there, it would be even worse."