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The Mexican Drug Cartels' Involuntary IT Guy

sarahnaomi writes: It could have been any other morning. Felipe del Jesús Peréz García got dressed, said goodbye to his wife and kids, and drove off to work. It would be a two hour commute from their home in Monterrey, in Northeastern Mexico's Nuevo León state, to Reynosa, in neighboring Tamaulipas state, where Felipe, an architect, would scout possible installation sites for cell phone towers for a telecommunications company before returning that evening. That was the last time anyone saw him.

What happened to Felipe García? One theory suggests he was abducted by a sophisticated organized crime syndicate, and then forced into a hacker brigade that builds and services the cartel's hidden, backcountry communications infrastructure. They're the Geek Squads to some of the biggest mafia-style organizations in the world.

11 of 128 comments (clear)

  1. Or maybe it was aliens by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The Mexican Drug Cartels' Involuntary IT Guy, maybe, just guessing really

    FTFY.

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  2. Supplemental reading by ShaunC · · Score: 3, Informative

    If you find the topic interesting, there was a very thorough and interesting feature in Popular Science last year, Radio Tecnico: How the Zetas Cartel Took Over Mexico with Walkie-Talkies.

    --
    Thanks to the War on Drugs, it's easier to buy meth than it is to buy cold medicine!
  3. plot by cstacy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Story seems to be the setup for an episode of either Mission Impossible (original series), or maybe The A-Team (if you can find them).

  4. Keep telling yourself that, Mrs. García. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Once upon a time one of the tester guys at my workplace found out his wife was cheating so took off to Las Vegas for a couple of weeks, blew the joint savings, and never returned. I lol'd. Some people knew what happened - but to a few others, I imagine he'd "just disappeared".

    Never underestimate the ability of the media to give you one unlikely and incomplete angle to every story.

  5. That makes little sense. by cdu13a · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Why abduct a guy and force him to do IT work. It's not like there is a lack of skilled people, that can't be bothered with moral/legal questions about who their employer is or what they are doing. If there was banks, mpaa/riaa, phone/cable companies, etc... would all having to abduct IT staff too.

    1. Re:That makes little sense. by idontgno · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Is it really that easy?

      I imagine initial contact is risky for all involved. If the IT guy volunteers, he could be a mole for the Federales. If the Cartel finds a likely candidate on its own head-hunt, what's to keep the guy from narcing them out?

      This way, the bad guys control all aspects of the recruitment and there's absolutely no risk other than they guy turning on them while "in service"... and you have his family for leverage against that.

      --
      Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
    2. Re:That makes little sense. by dpidcoe · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Why abduct a guy and force him to do IT work.

      Who says he was really abducted? If I was going to go work for a drug cartel, staging an abduction could give me some plausible deniability if the cartel gets busted or I need to go back to normal life for some reason.

  6. Re:Nah by gl4ss · · Score: 3, Insightful

    like, the headline reads like they know. but they don't.

    more likely killed for snooping around. that was his job anyways.

    --
    world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
  7. What its like..... by Lumpy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Cartel leader: "My phone is broken, fix it!"
    IT Guy: "Ok what is wrong with it?"
    Cartel Leader: "IT IS BROKEN ESE! YOU GET ME BACK MY FLAPPY BIRDS OR YOU DIE!"
    IT Guy: " I cant, they removed it from the App market"
    Cartel Leader, pulls gun and points it at the IT guy..
    Cartel Leader: " GET ME BACK FLAPPY BIRD OR WE PLAY ANGRY BIRD WITH YOUR HEAD!"

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  8. That does not make sense by Anon-Admin · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Seems to me they could simply find and hire the right IT guy.

    Hell, for the right amount of money I would do what ever they wanted. Drop me a couple of million and Ill give them a network and services that are close to untraceable and allow for the management of their business with little worry of the DEA figuring it out. I'd even include classes to teach there guys how to maintain security.

    1. Re:That does not make sense by ThatsDrDangerToYou · · Score: 3, Funny

      Seems to me they could simply find and hire the right IT guy.

      Hell, for the right amount of money I would do what ever they wanted. Drop me a couple of million and Ill give them a network and services that are close to untraceable and allow for the management of their business with little worry of the DEA figuring it out. I'd even include classes to teach there guys how to maintain security.

      Will you throw in grammar classes as a package deal?