Reuters: Mexico cartel used phone data and city cameras to hunt FBI informants

A hacker affiliated with the Sinaloa drug cartel successfully obtained the phone records of an FBI official and used Mexico City’s surveillance camera network to monitor and target the agency’s informants in 2018, the U.S. Justice Department disclosed in a report released recently.

This revelation comes from an audit conducted by the Justice Department’s Inspector General, shedding light on the FBI’s ongoing efforts to counter the challenges posed by “ubiquitous technical surveillance” — a term describing the widespread global use of cameras and the booming trade in vast repositories of communications, travel, and location data.

According to Reuters, the report specifies that the hacker worked for the cartel led by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the notorious Sinaloa drug lord extradited to the United States in 2017.

Using the phone number of an FBI assistant legal attaché stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, the hacker accessed call logs—including calls made and received—and geolocation data of the official.

Moreover, the hacker leveraged Mexico City’s extensive camera system to track the FBI official’s movements throughout the city, identifying the individuals the official met with. According to the report, the cartel then used this intelligence to intimidate and, in several cases, assassinate potential informants and cooperating witnesses.

The identities of the alleged hacker, the FBI attaché, and the victims were not disclosed in the report.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico directed inquiries to the State and Justice Departments, which had not responded at the time of reporting. The FBI and a representative for El Chapo also did not immediately comment.

The increasing ability of commercial and governmental entities to collect detailed location data from mobile phones, combined with the expanding presence of surveillance cameras, has complicated efforts by intelligence and law enforcement agencies, many of which depend on confidential informants for critical information.

The report highlights that recent advances in technology have made it “easier than ever for less-sophisticated nations and criminal enterprises to identify and exploit vulnerabilities” within the global surveillance landscape. In response, the FBI is developing a strategic plan to mitigate these risks, with recommendations including enhanced training for bureau personnel.

By Tamilla Hasanova