CNN reported that the CIA has directly engaged in deadly operations targeting Mexican drug cartels since 2025. The report included a March 28, 2026, car bombing outside Mexico City that killed Francisco Beltran, a Sinaloa Cartel member, and his driver, linking the strike to CIA involvement [1, 2]. An anonymous source familiar with CIA operations described a serious ramp-up in lethality and a significant expansion of CIA actions inside Mexico [2].

The CIA has strongly denied these claims. Spokesperson Liz Lyons called the CNN report “false and salacious and serves as nothing more than a PR campaign for the cartels and puts American lives at risk” [1, 3]. Mexico’s Secretary of Security Omar Garcia Harfuch also rejected the allegations, stating Mexico “categorically rejects any lethal, covert, or unilateral operations by foreign agencies on its territory.” He emphasized that cooperation with the US is based on “respect for sovereignty, shared responsibility, mutual trust, and cooperation without subordination” [1, 2].

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum dismissed the reports as fabricated. She described the CNN and New York Times stories as “a fiction the size of the universe” and said, “Imagine how big the lie is if the CIA itself needs to come out and dismiss” these allegations [3].

The US government under President Donald Trump has labeled major Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations since January 2025. It has increased aggressive counter-cartel efforts but officials say these do not include unilateral lethal operations on Mexican soil [1, 2].

After CNN published its report on May 12 or 13, Mexican officials and the CIA quickly publicly rejected the allegations, holding a news conference on May 13 where the president reiterated the denials [1, 3, 2]. The conflicting claims highlight tensions over the level and nature of US involvement in combating drug cartels in Mexico.

The Mexican government and the CIA remain firm that cooperation between the two countries is conducted with respect for Mexican sovereignty and no direct lethal strikes by US operatives occur inside Mexico. The situation continues to draw close attention amid ongoing US anti-cartel efforts.