FBI phone hacked by Mexican drug cartel to murder informants
(MENAFN) A hacker employed by Mexico’s powerful Sinaloa cartel infiltrated the phone records and location data of a senior FBI agent based at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, according to a new report by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General.
The breach occurred in 2018, during a major investigation into drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the former leader of the Sinaloa cartel. The cartel’s hacker also gained access to Mexico City’s CCTV system, allowing the group to track the agent’s movements and identify people he met—some of whom were later threatened or killed, the report revealed.
Guzman, who led the Sinaloa cartel as it became a dominant supplier of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana to the U.S., was captured in 2016, extradited in 2017, and sentenced in 2019 to life plus 30 years in a U.S. supermax prison. Despite his imprisonment, the cartel remains active and highly capable.
The DOJ warned that new surveillance technologies, now accessible to criminal organizations and less-developed states, pose a growing threat to U.S. intelligence operations.
Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has taken an aggressive stance against Mexico’s drug cartels. He has designated several, including the Sinaloa cartel, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations — potentially paving the way for expanded U.S. military or intelligence action.
The U.S. Treasury recently sanctioned three Mexican financial institutions for allegedly laundering cartel funds. Trump has also suggested the use of missile strikes against drug labs in Mexico, while the CIA is reportedly flying drone surveillance missions over cartel territories.
These moves have heightened tensions with Mexico. President Claudia Sheinbaum has criticized the lack of transparency in the U.S. measures and warned Washington not to infringe on Mexican sovereignty.
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