The death of Francisco Efraín Beltrán de la Peña—alias “El Payín”—in Tecámac, State of Mexico, on March 28 continues to spark conflicting accounts between international media outlets and the Mexican government. CNN was the first to claim that the incident constituted a “targeted killing facilitated by CIA agents,” carried out within the framework of an expanded campaign by the U.S. agency inside the country.
The reaction was immediate: both Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch and CIA spokesperson Liz Lyons stepped forward to refute the report. García Harfuch categorically rejected the existence of lethal operations by foreign agencies on Mexican soil. Lyons characterized the report as “false and sensationalist information.”
Far from settling the debate, *The New York Times* published its own account—based on sources with direct knowledge of the operation who spoke on condition of anonymity—which nuances, though does not rule out, U.S. involvement.
According to the New York-based newspaper:
The CIA shared intelligence regarding “El Payín’s” location.
The agency participated in planning the operation, although the exact scope of that role remained somewhat unclear.
U.S. agents were not physically present during the attack.
The operation on the ground—including the placement of the explosive device—was reportedly executed exclusively by Mexican authorities.
