Mexico in April 2026: the most important developments in security
Mexico's security news in April 2026 was dominated by the deaths of two CIA officers in the state of Chihuahua. They died in a car accident on April 20 after taking part in a counternarcotics operation. President Claudia Sheinbaum demanded an explanation from the United States and said she had not been informed. The Chihuahua prosecutor changed his statement on the deaths and resigned on April 28. Mexico announced that the agents were not authorized to be there, Governor Maru Campos created a special unit to investigate, and reports described three separate CIA missions and raised questions about the extent of US activity in Mexico. On April 29 Mexico said it was investigating the US agents for national security crimes, and the EU provided information on the agents' presence, according to Sheinbaum.
A shooting at the Teotihuacan pyramids on April 20 was the second major story. A gunman killed a Canadian tourist and wounded between six and more than a dozen others. Canada called the attack a horrendous act, and the attacker reportedly admired Columbine and Hitler and was linked to a school crime in Argentina. The site reopened on April 23.
Mexican forces struck the Jalisco New Generation Cartel twice. On April 28 the army captured a cartel leader tipped to succeed "El Mencho", following the capture of another top leader, "El Jardinero". A cartel commander was also arrested.
The US stepped up action against Mexican organized crime. It sanctioned cartel members, casinos, an activist and a lawyer linked to the Morena party, restricted visas for 75 people linked to the Sinaloa Cartel, and on April 29 charged Sinaloa governor Ruben Rocha and nine others with drug trafficking and weapons offences. A US official said Mexico must do more to secure the border quickly. A British Columbia mining company confirmed that nine of ten workers abducted from its mine in Mexico were dead.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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