El Chapo's Mexican Drug Cartel FBI Rats Hit-List — How Brutal Mob Launched Hack Attack Plan to Trace and Wipe Out Government Snitches
El Chapo's former cartel hacked an FBI agent's phone and Mexico City CCTV cameras in 2018.
June 30 2025, Published 7:00 p.m. ET
El Chapo's former drug cartel's plan to track down and kill FBI informants has been exposed, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
A bombshell report from the Department of Justice inspector general detailed how the Sinaloa Cartel hired a hacker to spy on US agents and their sources in 2018.
The hacker managed to break into Mexico City's CCTV network and tapped an agent’s cell phone. The information was used to zero in on an FBI assistant legal attaché (ALAT) who was working on the agency’s case against Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzmán.
Data Breach
The cartel used the information to target an FBI legal attaché working on the case against El Chapo.
According to the audit, the hacker was said to be able to "see calls made and received" by the FBI official, including their geolocation data. CCTV footage was also used to follow their movements and collect information on who they were meeting in the city.
The hacker was also said to have "observed people going in and out of the United States Embassy in Mexico City and identified 'people of interest' for the cartel, including an FBI assistant legal attaché."
The DOJ said the Sinaloa cartel "used that information to intimidate and, in some instances, kill potential sources or cooperating witnesses," though the report did not specify how many potential sources or cooperating witnesses were approached or harmed.
DOJ's Warning
The report warned advanced technology has made it easier for adversaries to track and locate agents.
Their report stated: "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."
Officials warned: "Advances in data mining and analysis, facial recognition, and computer network exploitation have made it easier than ever for nation-state adversaries, terrorist organizations, and criminal networks to identify FBI personnel and operations."
The report was part of a broader audit of the FBI's approach to protecting sensitive information and minimizing surveillance.
‘Existential’ Threat
The Trump administration labeled the Sinaloa Cartel a terrorist organization earlier this year.
The report continued: "Some within the FBI and partner agencies, such as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), have described this threat as 'existential.'"
The report further stated the agency is working on a "strategic plan" to address concerns and the agency’s response to the data breach.
El Chapo was sentenced to life in prison in 2019 after being found guilty of numerous crimes connected to the Sinaloa Cartel, including multiple counts of conspiracy for smuggling drugs into the country.
The notorious drug kingpin is also believed to be responsible for the murders of an estimated 34,000 people.
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The US has offered a $10million reward for the capture of El Chapo’s sons, Archivaldo Ivan Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar.
The DOJ report comes as the Trump administration deemed the Sinaloa Cartel a terrorist organization earlier this year. The Sinaloa Cartel has long been regarded as one of Mexico's largest and most violent crime syndicates, responsible for producing and trafficking cocaine, fentanyl, and other drugs for decades.
Recently, the government offered a $10million reward for the capture of El Chapo's sons, Archivaldo Ivan Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar.
El Chapo's two other sons, Joaquin Guzman Lopez and Ovidio Guzman Lopez, are currently in US custody.
