A latest report from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed that a blogger working for Mexico's most powerful drug gang had accessed the phone data and geographic location of a senior FBI agent working at the US Embassy in Mexico.
The incident occurred at a time when the FBI was conducting a large-scale investigation campaign to gather evidence against notorious drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman Loera, a longtime leader of the Sinaloa gang.
In addition to stealing communication, hackers also broke into the public surveillance camera system in the capital Mexico City. This allowed the gang to track every move of the FBI agent and identify the people he met, some of whom were later threatened or murdered.
Under the leadership of Guzman, the Sinaloa gang has become a major drug supplier to the US, smuggling large amounts of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana.
Although Guzman was arrested in Mexico in 2016, extradited to the US and sentenced to an additional life sentence in 2019 at Brooklyn court, the gang continues to operate with the transfer of power to other leaders and the drug trafficking ring into the US without interruption.
The DOJ report warned that the development of surveillance technology and easy-to-reach capabilities is becoming a life-threatening threat to US intelligence agencies such as the FBI and CIA, especially when they fall into the hands of criminal organizations or technology- underdeveloped countries.
After returning to the White House, President Donald Trump has applied a tough stance on Mexico's role in drug trafficking. He has officially put a number of Mexicoese gangs, including Sinaloa, on the list of Foreign terrorist organizations - a move that could pave the way for expanded military or intelligence campaigns.
The US Treasury recently fined three Mexico financial institutions for accusing drug gangs of laundering money, thereby blocking access to the US financial system. President Trump has also mentioned the possibility of missile strikes on drug laboratories in Mexico, while the CIA is reportedly conducting UAV surveillance campaigns deep inside the country.
These policies have strained US-Mexico relations. Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum criticized Washington for lacking evidence in some actions and warned of the risk of encroaching on national sovereignty.
