Mexico says US agents killed in crash weren't permitted to operate there

Mexico says US agents killed in crash weren't permitted to operate there1 hour agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleJessica RawnsleyReutersThe two US agents were returning from an operation to destroy illegal drug labs in the northern state of Chihuahua The Mexican government says two US agents who died last weekend in a car crash had not been authorised to operate in the country.The officials, who reportedly worked for the CIA, had taken part in a raid on suspected drug labs in the northern state of Chihuahua before their vehicle skidded off a mountain road and exploded.Following an investigation ordered by President Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico's security ministry said that "neither had formal accreditation to participate in operational activities" and that federal authorities had not been informed of their presence.The incident comes amid at-times fraught relations between Mexico and the US on a number of issues including counter-narcotics.Sheinbaum has come under intensifying pressure from US President Donald Trump to crack down on drug trafficking, but has repeatedly declined offers of US-led counter-narcotics operations in the country.She has been adamand that foreign officials can only operate on Mexican soil if given prior clearance by the federal government, and has insisted the Central American nation's sovereignty should not be breached.Mexico's security ministry said on Saturday that immigration records showed one of the agents had entered the country as a "visitor", while the other had travelled on a diplomatic passport."Neither had formal accreditation to participate in operational activities within national territory," the ministry said in a statement, noting that Mexican law prohibits foreign agents from taking part in operations without federal approval.US media previously reported that the two individuals, who have not been named, had worked for the CIA as part of an expanded effort to combat narcotic...