El Chapo's Cartel Hacked FBI Cameras and Phones to Target Witnesses

TL;DR

The “El Chapo” Mexican drug cartel employed sophisticated hacking techniques to spy on FBI personnel through compromised cameras and phones, leading to the identification and elimination of potential witnesses. A recent report highlights the FBI’s ongoing vulnerabilities and the urgent need for enhanced cybersecurity measures.

Main Content

The infamous “El Chapo” Mexican drug cartel reportedly conducted extensive surveillance on FBI personnel by hacking into cameras and intercepting phone calls. This alarming revelation comes from a June 2025 report by the US Department of Justice’s Inspector General, which underscores the persistent vulnerabilities in the FBI’s defenses against such intrusions ¹.

Ubiquitous Technical Surveillance (UTS)

The report introduces the concept of ubiquitous technical surveillance (UTS), where attackers aggregate various data types to construct detailed profiles of their targets. This comprehensive surveillance links individuals to events, locations, and objects, posing a significant threat to national security. The FBI and partner agencies, including the CIA, have described this threat as “existential” ¹.

Methods of Surveillance

The cartel employed several methods to surveil FBI personnel:

• Visual and Physical Imagery: Photographing individuals for identification.
• Electronic Signal Interception: Listening in on phone calls.
• Financial Transaction Analysis: Monitoring financial activities.
• Travel Booking Checks: Tracking travel plans.
• Online Presence Monitoring: Observing social media and internet usage.

The Sinaloa Cartel’s Operations

The Sinaloa drug cartel, led by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, hired a black hat hacker to target the FBI. This criminal operator offered a range of services to exploit mobile phones and other electronic devices. The hacker successfully compromised the phone of the FBI’s Assistant Legal Attache (ALAT) in Mexico City, accessing call logs and geolocation data. Additionally, the hacker infiltrated Mexico City’s camera system to track the ALAT’s movements and identify their contacts, leading to the intimidation and elimination of potential witnesses ¹.

Persistent Vulnerabilities

Despite the severity of these threats, the FBI’s defenses against UTS remain inadequate. The Inspector General’s report from 2022 highlighted significant shortcomings, describing the Bureau’s response as “disjointed and inconsistent.” In response, the FBI classified UTS as a Tier 1 Enterprise Risk and assembled a ‘red team’ to identify vulnerabilities. However, the team’s initial analysis was deemed insufficient, covering only three of the six expected vulnerability categories ¹.

The FBI’s Counterintelligence Division provided a more detailed analysis, “Anatomy of a Case,” but this was not fully incorporated into the red team’s report. The Bureau is now reviewing both documents to address these gaps. Furthermore, the FBI’s proposed strategic plan to combat UTS lacks clear lines of authority and a comprehensive long-term approach, raising concerns about its effectiveness ¹.

Conclusion

The capture and imprisonment of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán in 2016, followed by his extradition to the US in 2017 and subsequent life sentence in 2019, marked significant milestones in the fight against drug cartels. However, the persistent cybersecurity threats posed by these organizations highlight the urgent need for robust defensive measures. The FBI must prioritize enhancing its cybersecurity infrastructure to protect against future infiltrations and safeguard national security ¹.

Additional Resources

For further insights, check: Drug cartel hacked cameras and phones to spy on FBI and identify witnesses

References

1. Department of Justice (2025). “Drug cartel hacked cameras and phones to spy on FBI and identify witnesses”. US Department of Justice. Retrieved 2025-07-03. ↩︎ ↩︎² ↩︎³ ↩︎⁴ ↩︎⁵ ↩︎⁶