Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday dismissed as “false” a Reuters investigation that alleged extensive CIA involvement in the country’s war on drug cartels.

RELATED:

Mexico Loses \$650 Million Annually to Illicit Tobacco Trade, Study Warns

The Reuters report, published Wednesday, said the CIA has for years conducted covert operations in Mexico aimed at capturing high-profile traffickers. According to the investigation, the agency has collaborated with elite units of the Mexican Army and Navy, providing training, surveillance support, equipment, and funding for operations.

Speaking at her daily press conference, Sheinbaum insisted the report was inaccurate. “There is cooperation and coordination on information between the governments of Mexico and the United States to confront drug cartels,” she said, but added: “It is absolutely false that CIA agents are working with the Mexican Army in operations. That is not true.” She stressed that Mexico “will not put its independence at risk.”

Reuters rejected Sheinbaum’s characterization. “Reuters stands by its reporting earlier this week on the CIA’s secret role in fighting Mexico’s drug cartels, which was mischaracterized today by the Mexican government,” a spokesperson said.

The report, based on interviews with more than 60 current and former U.S. and Mexican officials, stated that CIA operations are carried out with Mexican government authorization. Arrests, it added, are executed by Mexican forces, not U.S. personnel.

Sheinbaum’s comments marked her first public response to the report. Prior to publication, neither her office nor the Mexican military replied to Reuters’ repeated requests for comment.

The controversy comes as U.S. President Donald Trump escalates pressure on Mexico, claiming its government is under the control of drug cartels. His remarks add to already strained relations between the two countries.

IN THIS ARTICLE