Sheinbaum Denies CIA Cartel Killings in Mexico

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum categorically denied reports on Wednesday that U.S. Central Intelligence Agency operatives had conducted deadly operations against drug cartels on Mexican soil, calling the claims fictitious during her morning news conference in Mexico City.

Sheinbaum dismissed allegations of CIA involvement in targeted killings, including a March explosion on a highway outside the capital that killed Francisco Beltran, a Sinaloa Cartel member, and his driver. "Imagine how big the lie is if the CIA itself needs to come out and dismiss the story," she told reporters. She described one account as "a fiction the size of the universe." Mexican law requires federal approval for any foreign security operations, and Sheinbaum insisted U.S. personnel do not participate directly without permission, though intelligence sharing continues between the two nations.

A CIA spokesperson, Liz Lyons, echoed the denial in a social media post, labeling the reports "false and salacious reporting that serves as nothing more than a PR campaign for the cartels and puts American lives at risk." Mexico's Security Secretary Omar Harfuch also rejected the narrative, stating on social...