A recent internal FBI audit has revealed that a hacker linked to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel accessed sensitive phone data from an FBI agent based at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. The breach reportedly allowed the cartel to monitor the agent’s calls, track geolocation, and use public surveillance cameras to identify individuals the agent was meeting with.
According to the FBI’s findings, the cartel allegedly used the information to intimidate and, in some cases, murder informants or cooperating witnesses. The exact number of compromised sources remains unclear, and the identity of the hacker has not been made public.
The incident underscores the growing risks that emerging technologies pose to covert law enforcement operations abroad. It also highlights the increasing capability of criminal enterprises to exploit vulnerabilities in digital infrastructure.
Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the cartel’s former leader, remains imprisoned in the U.S. after his 2017 extradition. The FBI has not disclosed further details about the timing or duration of the hack.
