Ex-Chihuahua prosecutor linked to CIA work is in U.S. protection, officials say
Mexican authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Guillermo Zuany Portillo, a former prosecutor in the northern state of Chihuahua. According to U.S. and Mexican officials, he has fled to the United States and is now under U.S. government protection. The warrant relates to his involvement with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the U.S. government's foreign intelligence agency.
According to The New York Times, Zuany spent more than six months beginning last year working closely with CIA officers in Chihuahua. He shepherded them as they trained local forces, joined those forces on missions against criminal drug cartels, and provided expertise during ground operations.
The arrangement came to light in April, when a car crash killed two CIA officers. The crash exposed the agency's presence in the state, which had been meant to stay out of public view. It led to a national scandal and to Zuany's resignation as prosecutor. An investigation later determined that the crash was an accident.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has repeatedly said she does not want U.S. forces taking part in ground operations inside Mexico. She has called such participation a breach of sovereignty, meaning a country's right to govern itself without outside interference.
The Times reports that under the Trump administration, the CIA sought to expand its activity in Mexico. It saw Zuany as a partner who could help it do so quietly.
