'It's a free-for-all': how hi-tech spyware ends up in the hands of Mexico's cartels

Mexico has become a major importer of spying kit but officials are accused of colluding with criminal groups - and innocent individuals are often targeted

Corrupt Mexican officials have helped drug cartels in the country obtain state-of-the-art spyware which can be used to hack mobile phones, according to a senior DEA official.

As many as 25 private companies - including the Israeli company NSO Group and the Italian firm Hacking Team - have sold surveillance software to Mexican federal and state police forces, but there is little or no regulation of the sector - and no way to control where the spyware ends up, said the officials.