The Informants in Mexico’s Government
The governor of Baja California, Marina del Pilar, was caught on a leaked recording offering to act as an FBI informant. This incident highlights the ongoing tension and complex relationship between Mexican officials and U.S. law enforcement regarding drug cartel investigations.
Why it matters
It underscores the precarious nature of governance in border regions and the extent of U.S. intelligence penetration into Mexican political circles.
The United States is intensifying its hunt for narcos south of the border. Is this all prelude to an attack?
Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: Carl de Souza / AFP / Getty; Carlos Moreno / NurPhoto / Getty; Yuri Cortez / AFP / Getty. July 24, 2026, 6 AM ET Share Save T he governor of Baja California is a 40-year-old attorney and former big-city mayor named Marina del Pilar. Her state, which includes the megacity of Tijuana, is a magnet for American tourists, and also for narcotics cartels. As a politician of some experience, she is presumably unfazed by the sorts of challenges that come with governing a volatile section of her volatile country.
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