Organized Crime Employs Hackers to Support Its Activities

A report from the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ), released in late June 2025, highlights the FBI’s efforts against "technical surveillance" and details how organized crime groups have enlisted hackers to aid their illegal operations.

A report from the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ), released in late June 2025, highlights the FBI’s efforts against “technical surveillance” and details how organized crime groups have enlisted hackers to aid their illegal operations.

One notable case involves Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, leader of a major Mexican cartel, who in 2018 hired a cybercriminal to spy on an FBI agent. The drug lord, sentenced to life in prison in 2019, tasked the hacker with identifying the agent’s sources. The hacker successfully breached the smartphone of a legal attaché working with the agent, gaining real-time geolocation data.

By infiltrating Mexico City’s surveillance camera network, the hacker was able to track the official’s movements in the capital. “According to the case agent, the cartel used this information to intimidate, and in some cases, kill potential sources or cooperating witnesses,” the DoJ report states.

The report cites other similar incidents. In one, drug traffickers hired a hacker to infiltrate the IT systems of the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp to facilitate the entry of drug shipments.