Kidnapping

Kidnapping has become one of the top moneymakers for organized crime in the region. Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Haiti, and Ecuador are all part of the top ten worst kidnapping countries in the world. El Salvador and Guatemala also have high levels of kidnapping.

Colombia is often blamed for the massification of the practice. There, large and small rebel groups kidnapped people, often en masse along the sides of highways, helping to give it the highest rate in the world. Other neighboring countries, Ecuador and Venezuela in particular, face similar issues with similar groups. In the Americas, the practice of what’s called “express kidnapping” is also common, although these are most frequently done by smaller groups that do not usually qualify as organized crime.

Throughout the region, different types of organized criminal gangs practice kidnapping. Some groups specialize in the activity. But from guerrilla groups and paramilitaries to street gangs and major drug trafficking groups, it has become a common “side-job,” a way to ensure regular extortion payments or gain more revenue through ransoms. It’s also a crime that often plagues the middle class and professionals. These groups have money, are less likely to inform the authorities and are less likely to create a stir amongst the top echelons of power. The result is that many kidnappings go unreported and kidnapping, in general, is underreported.

The sophistication of the kidnapping says a lot about the organizational structure of a group. Most groups do not have the infrastructure to hold people for more than a few days. The ones that do have the infrastructure often count on collaboration of local and sometimes national authorities, as well as a wide network of civilian informants. Politically-motivated kidnappings also still represent a threat in the region, although they are not as prevalent as they once were. Most groups understand that kidnapping is a risky venture. While the money can be good, it tends to accelerate a process in which the local population will turn against a group and begin to collaborate with authorities. The internal politics of whether or not to kidnap has also caused severe rifts and splits in criminal groups.