&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "DOJ bombshell report exposes how a Mexican cartel used a hacker to hunt down FBI informants")
A hacker working for a notorious Mexican cartel accessed the phone records of a US official, using the data to track down and kill informants cooperating with the FBI, revealed a shocking report by the US Justice Department. The revelation is part of a recently released audit titled "The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Efforts to Mitigate the Effects of Ubiquitous Technical Surveillance", which outlines how criminal enterprises are now exploiting technology to target law enforcement and intelligence efforts.
The hacker, compromised informants and the notorious cartel
As per Mirror, the hacker, whose identity has not been disclosed, was reportedly hired by the Sinaloa Cartel—the powerful criminal organisation once led by Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, who was captured in 2016 and extradited to the United States.
According to the FBI, the hacker offered a "menu of services related to exploiting mobile phones and other electronic devices". One of the key targets was an FBI assistant legal attaché (ALAT) stationed at the US embassy in Mexico City.
After identifying the ALAT's phone number, the hacker allegedly used it to "obtain calls made and received, as well as geolocation data". Even more alarmingly, the hacker accessed Mexico City's surveillance camera system and used it to follow the FBI official through the capital.
The report said: "According to the FBI, in addition to compromising the ALAT's phone, the hacker also accessed Mexico City's camera system, used the cameras to follow the ALAT through the city, and identified people the ALAT met with. According to the case agent, the cartel used that information to intimidate and/or kill potential sources or cooperating witnesses."
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The Sinaloa Cartel even used that information to "intimidate and, in some instances, kill potential sources or cooperating witnesses," it detailed. The 2018 incident underscores the growing capabilities of drug cartels, which are no longer limited to brute force but now increasingly leverage cyber and surveillance technology to undermine law enforcement operations.
While the report does not name the hacker, victims, or the ALAT involved, it offers a dire warning about how technology had "made it easier" for "less sophisticated nations and criminal enterprises to identify and exploit vulnerabilities" in government surveillance infrastructure.
The FBI said it is now taking steps to address these issues, including providing more robust training to agents in the field and bolstering internal defenses against cyber threats.
