U.S. Justice Department Reveals Sinaloa Cartel Hacker Used Surveillance and FBI Data to Target Informants

Washington, D.C., June 27 — In a startling revelation, the U.S. Department of Justice has disclosed that a hacker working on behalf of Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel infiltrated sensitive information belonging to an FBI official in 2018, leveraging both telecommunications data and Mexico City's surveillance network to track and eliminate informants.

The findings, published Thursday in a report by the DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General, highlight the growing threat posed by the global proliferation of surveillance technologies and data markets—referred to in the report as “ubiquitous technical surveillance.”

According to the audit, the hacker, reportedly affiliated with the powerful cartel once led by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, managed to compromise the phone records of an FBI Assistant Legal Attaché stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. The attacker obtained not only details of incoming and outgoing calls but also geolocation data linked to the agent’s device.

The report further revealed that the hacker utilized Mexico City’s public camera system to monitor the FBI official's movements and identify individuals with whom the agent interacted. Armed with this information, the Sinaloa cartel allegedly used the intelligence to intimidate, and in some cases, kill informants and cooperating witnesses.

Neither the hacker, the FBI official, nor the victims were named in the unclassified report.

National Security Concerns Amid Technological Vulnerabilities

The incident underscores how criminal organizations are exploiting vulnerabilities within global surveillance ecosystems—systems originally designed to enhance public safety. It also raises pressing concerns about the security of U.S. intelligence operations abroad, particularly in jurisdictions where state infrastructure may be susceptible to corruption or criminal infiltration.

“This case illustrates how emerging technologies and data access—when abused—can place law enforcement operations and human lives at grave risk,” the report noted. “Criminal enterprises no longer require advanced cyber capabilities to manipulate surveillance infrastructure. The tools are increasingly available to less-sophisticated actors.”

The report also emphasized the urgent need for a strategic overhaul in how federal agencies protect personnel and confidential sources in an age of pervasive digital tracking. Among its recommendations, the Inspector General’s office called for enhanced training, upgraded security protocols, and improved risk-mitigation planning within the FBI and other law enforcement agencies.

Official Silence and Broader Implications

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico declined to comment, referring all inquiries to the State Department and the Department of Justice, both of which have yet to issue public responses. The FBI and legal representatives for El Chapo also did not respond to requests for comment.

Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who was extradited to the United States in 2017 and is now serving a life sentence in a U.S. federal prison, remains a symbolic figurehead for the Sinaloa cartel, which continues to be one of the most powerful and dangerous criminal organizations in the world.

The incident adds to a growing body of evidence that sophisticated criminal networks are adapting rapidly to a data-driven global environment—one in which location data, surveillance footage, and digital communication records can be weaponized against even the most protected assets of the U.S. government.

As law enforcement agencies reevaluate their counterintelligence frameworks, the report stands as a stark warning: the fusion of digital surveillance and organized crime has created new battlegrounds where operational secrecy and human life are increasingly at risk.