The Mexican drug cartel hacked an FBI phone to kill informants
A report by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General has revealed that a hacker working for Mexico’s most powerful drug cartel accessed the phone records and geolocation data of a senior FBI agent assigned to the US Embassy in the country. The incident took place in 2018 during a high-profile operation against notorious drug lord Joaquin Guzman Loera, known as ‘El Chapo,’ the longtime leader of the Sinaloa cartel. The cyber operative, hired by the gang, also managed to tap into Mexico City’s CCTV network, allowing the cartel to monitor the agent’s movements and identify individuals he met with, some of whom were later intimidated or killed.
Under Guzman’s leadership, the Sinaloa cartel became the main supplier of drugs to the US, trafficking vast quantities of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines, and marijuana. Guzman was arrested in Mexico in 2016 and extradited to the US, where he was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 30 years. His capture did not halt the cartel’s operations, as power shifted to other leaders and drug trafficking continued unabated. The DOJ report highlighted recent advances in surveillance technology, which have become accessible to criminal groups and ‘less-sophisticated nations,’ posing an ‘existential’ threat to US intelligence agencies like the FBI and CIA.
After returning to office in January, US President Donald Trump has taken a hardline approach toward Mexico’s role in the drug trade. He designated several Mexican cartels, including the Sinaloa Cartel, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, which could enable expanded military or intelligence operations. The US Treasury Department also imposed sanctions on three Mexican financial institutions accused of laundering cartel money, potentially cutting them off from the American financial system. Trump has floated the possibility of missile strikes on cartel drug labs in Mexico, while the CIA conducts drone surveillance missions deep into Mexican territory. These policies have strained US-Mexico relations. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has criticized the lack of evidence behind some of Washington’s actions and warned against violating the country’s sovereignty.