Investigators warn the system could have blacked out cellular service in a city that relies on it not only for daily life but for emergency response and counterterrorism. SIM card packaging that was seized by the Secret Service SIM card packaging that was seized by the Secret Service (U.S. Secret Service via AP) loading...A broader investigation led to this discoveryThe network was uncovered as part of a broader Secret Service investigation into telecommunications threats targeting senior government officials, according to investigators. “It can’t be understated what this system is capable of doing,” said Matt McCool, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s New York field office. Part of a wall of SIM boxes that were seized by the Secret Service Part of a wall of SIM boxes that were seized by the Secret Service (U.S. Secret Service via AP) loading...An extensive, expensive operationWhen agents entered the sites, they found rows of servers and shelves stacked with SIM cards. He described it as a well-funded, highly organized enterprise, one that cost millions of dollars in hardware and SIM cards alone.