Mexico's Terrafina to remove CIBanco as trustee after US sanctions
MEXICO CITY, June 27 (Reuters) - Mexican real estate trust Terrafina said on Friday it planned to remove bank CIBanco as its trustee due to U.S. money laundering accusations, which resulted in Mexico's banking regulator stepping in to manage it.
CIBanco has rejected the sanctions from the U.S. Treasury Department, which prohibit certain transactions with the firm. President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Thursday she had not received any evidence of money laundering from the U.S., which also sanctioned two other financial operators, Vector Casa de Bolsa and Intercam Banco.
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Scottish Sun
9 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
El Chapo's Mexican drug cartel ‘hired hacker to infiltrate public CCTV cameras to track down and kill FBI informants'
The FBI says it's drafting a plan to plug security gaps, including more training for agents NARCO WARS El Chapo's Mexican drug cartel 'hired hacker to infiltrate public CCTV cameras to track down and kill FBI informants' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) EL CHAPO'S ruthless cartel used a hacker to break into Mexico City's CCTV system and track down FBI informants — before having them killed. A shocking new US Justice Department report reveals the Sinaloa Cartel, once run by Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, hired a tech expert to spy on American agents and expose their sources. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 El Chapo's (pictured) ruthless Sinaloa cartel used a hacker to break into Mexico City's CCTV system to spy on FBI informants Credit: AFP or licensors 3 The hacker was used to track down agents and expose their sources before they were killed Credit: Reuters 3 The FBI says it's drafting a plan to plug security gaps, including more training for agents Credit: AP The hacker hacked into Mexico City's camera network and phone records in 2018, tailing an FBI assistant legal attaché (ALAT) at the US embassy. Armed with this intel, the cartel was able to 'intimidate and, in some instances, kill potential sources or cooperating witnesses,' the report said. The Justice Department added: '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.' The findings shine a harsh light on how cartels are now using cutting-edge tech to stay a step ahead of law enforcement. Read more cartel stories CARTEL BUTCHER US woman killed by Mexico cartel after 'mistaking her dad's truck for rival' The audit warned that new technology has 'made it easier than ever for less-sophisticated nations and criminal enterprises to identify and exploit vulnerabilities' in government data. It comes as Mexico's cops desperately try to catch up. In Chiapas this week, police unveiled armed drones to take on cartels fighting for smuggling routes along the Guatemalan border. Just weeks ago, the same force sparked a diplomatic storm by chasing gunmen into Guatemala and engaging in a wild street shootout. The Sinaloa Cartel — once commanded by El Chapo, who's now locked up in the US — remains locked in a bloody battle with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Meanwhile, a new breed of younger, tech-savvy narcos is ramping up tactics like cryptocurrency laundering and state-of-the-art surveillance. Horror moment bomb drone blows up enemy truck…but this ISN'T Ukraine- vid shows warring cartels Trump wants to crush 'The cartels run a multi-billion-dollar global enterprise and utilize sophisticated technology to enhance their business operations,' said Derek Maltz, former acting DEA chief. 'They utilize state-of-art sophisticated surveillance techniques to identify law enforcement activities and their adversaries.' The FBI says it's drafting a plan to plug these glaring security gaps, including more training for agents. But the Justice Department report warned the threat is so severe that some in the FBI and CIA call it 'existential'. Mexico's long-running drug war rages on with no end in sight. More than 400,000 people have been killed since the government first declared war on the cartels in 2006, and tens of thousands more have vanished without a trace. Despite high-profile arrests and military crackdowns, groups like Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation continue to expand their reach, both at home and across borders. In the US, the stakes are equally dire. Authorities have repeatedly blamed Mexican cartels for driving the fentanyl crisis, which has fuelled a record surge in overdose deaths. Washington has labelled these syndicates 'foreign terrorist organisations' in everything but official designation, ramping up efforts to cripple their finances and supply chains.
Scottish Sun
12 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Sir David Murray vows to save Dalzell steel mill as he reveals masterplan
SIR David Murray vowed to be a 'big customer' of Dalzell steel mill if his masterplan to save it becomes reality. The ex-Rangers owner and metal magnate, 73, says he is ready to play a major role in providing Scottish steel for North Sea wind turbines to power the nation's future energy. 4 Sir David Murray vowed to be a 'big customer' of Dalzell steel mill Credit: Andrew Barr 4 The plant in Motherwell is currently mothballed due to cheap Chinese steel imports and a drought in orders Credit: Getty 4 Some 140 workers were furloughed or placed on maintenance duties in April this year Credit: Reuters 4 New Liberty owner Sanjeev Gupta with Nicola Sturgeon Credit: Alan Ewing The plant in Motherwell is currently mothballed due to cheap Chinese steel imports and a drought in orders, with some 140 workers furloughed or placed on maintenance duties in April this year. Sir David has been in talks with Holyrood ministers for a decade over halting the industry's decline. He has now revealed he has held hush-hush negotiations with the UK Government to rescue the mill. His latest intervention comes after PM Sir Keir Starmer and Scottish Secretary Ian Murray blasted SNP ministers in May for allowing the nation's last remaining steel plants — Dalzell and Clydebridge in Cambuslang — to cease production. The Scottish Government orchestrated a takeover of the sites in 2016, putting taxpayers' cash on the line. And Sir Keir insisted last month it was important to 'get those plants up and running again'. Now Sir David has told The Scottish Sun on Sunday: 'There is a lot of political stuff going on over Dalzell. I've been heavily involved in trying to save the plate mill. 'I have spoken to the British Government in the last week and there's a meeting in a few weeks' time. 'The workforce has stayed at home for months and got 80 per cent of their wages. But it could be sorted in a week. We need people in management to work with me. 'I'd be the chairman, I'd help the management, I'd help the business, we'd be a big customer. Former Rangers owner Sir David Murray vows to save Dalzell steel mill with masterplan 'At the time it closed, I was one of its biggest customers. 'At our peak we'd be selling 550,000 tonnes of steel a year. 'That's five Forth rail bridges in weight. Today it's just over one because the fabrication business is diminishing — it's ridiculous that Britain does not have the capacity to roll a steel plate.' Sir David told how there is one mill in the north-east of England which is Ukrainian-owned. He went on: 'The wind turbines being made for the North Sea are much bigger now. 'It's a heavier plate, ideal for Dalzell. There are 50,000 tonnes of steel coming to Teesside this week from Korea to be made into turbines. 'The Scottish Government don't own one wind turbine. Look at the cost of energy. We are buying power from other people who put in these turbines. We need to create growth, jobs and prosperity in this country.' We told last July of fears the Dalzell operation would be mothballed amid a slowdown in work. A report in March by the Community Union, which represents workers at the two plants, said low-cost steel from China and high UK energy prices were hitting British steel production. The union said Dalzell needed investment to become a 'world-leading producer' of a key turbines component. Sir David has long called for an inquiry into the Scottish Government's involvement in the 2016 sale of the Lanarkshire plants to tycoon Sanjeev Gupta and Liberty Steel. The sale was backed by a £7million loan from Scottish Enterprise. MURRAY'S HEART SCARE OP EXCLUSIVE by Rodger Hannah SIR David Murray has lifted the lid on a secret heart op after he was diagnosed with a potentially-fatal medical condition. The businessman fell ill shortly before selling Rangers to Craig Whyte in 2011 — to be told he had an aortic aneurysm. He revealed: 'I was driving home over the Forth Road Bridge and I thought I was having a heart attack. I went into Dunfermline Hospital. I had a scan. It's basically your main blood vessel and the aneurysm makes it expand. 'If it bursts, you've got about half an hour.' Sir David believes the pressure of Rangers' financial issues and the global recession could have contributed to his health scare. He added: 'They told me I needed an operation, which I had in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. 'I shared the information with Craig Brown a few years ago. 'He had an identical thing. His burst but they managed to get him in on time.' Former Scotland manager Brown needed life-saving surgery in 2020. He told the Scottish Sun at the time: 'They say only about three out of ten survive it.' Brown died in 2023 aged 82. But Sir David claims ministers rejected his rival bid because it was potentially incompatible with state aid rules, and has criticised Mr Gupta's management since. He said: 'Ten years ago, I met the Scottish Government and the First Minister [Nicola Sturgeon]. I put a proposal to them and I was told they couldn't do it because they couldn't give state aid. 'Then they lent somebody else £7million who hasn't paid it back.' Mr Gupta, executive chairman of GFG Alliance which owns Liberty Steel, is being prosecuted by Companies House for failing to file accounts for more than 70 companies listed in Britain. He denies any wrongdoing. Ayr-born Sir David spoke exclusively ahead of this Thursday's July publication of his autobiography 'Mettle: Tragedy, Courage and Titles. He remains chair of his family firm, Murray Capital Group, albeit his son, also David, runs day-to-day operations as managing director. He reveals in his new book that some of his teenage grandkids have already attended board meetings. He added: 'There is an opportunity for young people but you better come to the table with a skill. 'You're not coming, as my great friend Sean Connery said, as a member of The Lucky Sperm Club.' The UK Government confirmed Sir David had met with MP Ian Murray. A source said: 'David Murray has met Ian Murray to discuss his concerns about the Dalzell works being mothballed because the SNP cut a bad deal. We encourage the SNP Government to take advantage of the trade deals the UK Labour Government has cut and the industrial strategy which present a huge opportunity for Scottish steel.' Liberty Steel declined to comment. The Scottish Government said its 2016 intervention 'sustained over 100 jobs at Dalzell and retained steelmaking capacity in Scotland.' Scottish Enterprise confirmed: 'We remain in discussion with Liberty Steel regarding repayment of the loan funding.'
Daily Mirror
15 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Deadly cartel hacked surveillance cameras to track and kill FBI informants
An infamous Mexican drug cartel known for its association with drug lord 'El Chapo' used a hacker to track down and kill informants for the FBI by accessing surveillance cameras, a shock new report suggests A hacker employed by a fearsome cartel once led by 'El Chapo' managed to gain access to surveillance cameras in Mexico City to track down and kill informants for the FBI, according to a report by the US Justice Department. The hacker also obtained the phone records of an FBI official known as an 'assistant legal attaché' (ALAT) at the American embassy in the Mexican capital. The 'Audit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Efforts to Mitigate the Effects of Ubiquitous Technical Surveillance' said the hacker was employed by the Sinaloa Cartel, synonymous with Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán - who was arrested for a final time in 2016 before being extradited to the US. The FBI was working on El Chapo's case when it was tipped off that the hacker offered 'a menu of services related to exploiting mobile phones and other electronic devices'. After identifying the ALAT at the embassy, the hacker used their phone number to 'obtain calls made and received, as well as geolocation data'. The report said: '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. According to the case agent, the cartel used that information to intimidate and/or kill potential sources or cooperating witnesses.' The report said the incident in 2018 led to the Sinaloa Cartel using the information to 'intimidate and, in some instances, kill potential sources or cooperating witnesses'. The hacker, victims and ALAT were not identified in the report. In a stark warning to authorities attempting to curtail the power of drug cartels, the report also warned that advances in technology had 'made it easier' for 'less-sophisticated nations and criminal enterprises to identify and exploit vulnerabilities' in information collected by governments. The Bureau said a plan was in process to try and tackle such vulnerabilities; this includes more training for agents. This week, police in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas unveiled a fleet of armed drones they say will better position them against the heavily armed drug cartels vying for control of their border with Guatemala. Frequently outgunned by cartels with heavy guns and increasingly with drones that drop improvised explosive devices, Mexican authorities are trying to catch up. Concerningly, the same Chiapas state police force generated an international diplomatic incident earlier this month when they pursued an alleged gunmen into neighbouring Guatemala, engaging in an extended shootout in the streets of border town La Mesilla. The drones could be equipped to carry guns or to fight fires, said Chiapas Security Secretary Óscar Aparicio Avendaño. He did not explain what the rules of engagement would be for police using an armed drone. Chiapas has struggled in the past couple years with competition between Mexico's two most powerful cartels, the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, as they fight for control of lucrative smuggling routes along the Guatemalan border.
