Emerging from almost six decades of civil conflict, the world’s number one cocaine producer has paid scant attention to environmental crime.
The Roots of Environmental Crime in the Colombian Amazon
INVESTIGATIONS
/ 1 SEP 2021
The Amazon Basin is being ravaged at an accelerating rate by organized criminal groups and "legal" enterprises alike, as deforestation soars and biodiversity suffers. Illegal mining, logging, wildlife trafficking, land…
NEWS
South Korea Becomes Transit Point for Mexican Methamphetamine
COCAINE
/
16 SEP 2021
South Korean authorities have arrested a drug trafficker suspected of importing up to a ton of methamphetamine from Mexico for re-export to Australia, displaying how Mexican synthetic drugs continue to…
NEWS
Memo Fantasma Properties in Colombia Used to Compensate Victims of Violence
AUC
/
15 SEP 2021
Dozens of properties and other assets seized from Memo Fantasma, one of Colombia’s foremost drug traffickers, will be used to provide support for those who have suffered from violence in…
NEWS
South Africa Raises Profile as Cocaine Trafficking Hub
BRAZIL
/
14 SEP 2021
South Africa has made a rapid succession of large cocaine seizures in recent months, illuminating how the country and region now play a significant role as transit points for Latin…
NEWS
Is Dominican Republic Making Gains in Anti-Corruption Fight?
CARIBBEAN
/
13 SEP 2021
The dismantling of a drug trafficking and money laundering network implicating government officials in the Dominican Republic has presented a serious challenge to President Luis Abinader’s anti-corruption drive.
NEWS
Costa Rica Struggles to Profit from Sale of Narco-Assets
COSTA RICA
/
13 SEP 2021
In Costa Rica, the seizure of narco-assets presents more of an obstacle than a gift to authorities.
NEWS
Monos Leader Continues to Call the Shots from Behind Bars
ARGENTINA
/
10 SEP 2021
Violence is rocking Argentina’s port city of Rosario just as the leaders of its biggest gang, the Monos, are on trial for allegedly orchestrating a series of attacks against the…
NEWS
Haiti’s Neighbors Grow Concerned at Spread of Gang Governance
G9
/
10 SEP 2021
International efforts to help Haiti since the devastating August 14 earthquake continue to be hampered by gang violence, with reports now emerging that ships carrying emergency aid from Mexico were…
NEWS
Panama Unveils Extent of Official Participation in Drug Trafficking
BAGDAD
/
9 SEP 2021
As Panama struggles to contain an ever-growing flow of cocaine, a recent operation has revealed the extent to which officials are involved in facilitating the drug trade.
NEWS
Modifying Planes to Carry Drugs - Another Criminal Speciality in Colombia
COCAINE
/
9 SEP 2021
A gang, which modified aircraft to be able to carry cocaine from Colombia to the United States and Mexico, has provided another example of how specific aspects of the drug…
NEWS
As Marijuana Profits Dry Up, Mexico Crime Groups Turn to Alcohol and Logging
ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME
/
8 SEP 2021
Mexico remains the main international provider of marijuana for the United States, but this has greatly diminished since 2013, forcing certain criminal groups to adapt and look for other funds.
Featured Reporting and Analysis
Mexico's process of criminal fragmentation has been a slow burn. Many of the country's mightiest criminal groups have been unable to stay united, either due to internal strife, incursions from…
BELTRAN LEYVA ORG
/
12 AUG 2021
While not as lucrative as illegal mining, wildlife trafficking is still a multimillion-dollar business.
COLOMBIA
/
15 SEP 2021
Seizures of coltan in Colombia have shown the complex networks used by armed groups to smuggle the valuable mineral from illegal mines across the border in Venezuela.
COLOMBIA
/
18 AUG 2021
Deforestation is the most visible face of environmental crime in Colombia’s Amazon.
COCA
/
1 SEP 2021
As gold prices have skyrocketed, criminal groups once solely dedicated to the trafficking of drugs and arms have moved into illegal mining.
AUC
/
8 SEP 2021
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InDepth
Exploring Illegal Mining in Colombia’s Amazon
AUC
/ 8 SEP 2021
Killings Pile Up in Uruguay Due to Brazil Gang War
BRAZIL
/ 24 AUG 2021
About InSight Crime
THE ORGANIZATION
Unraveling the Web of Elites Connected to Organized Crime
27 JUL 2021
InSight Crime published Elites and Organized Crime in Nicaragua, a deep dive into the relationships between criminal actors and elites in that Central American nation.
THE ORGANIZATION
InSight Crime’s Greater Focus on US-Mexico Border
20 JUL 2021
InSight Crime has decided to turn many of its investigative resources towards understanding and chronicling the criminal dynamics along the US-Mexico border.
THE ORGANIZATION
Key Arrests and Police Budget Increases Due to InSight Crime Investigations
8 JUL 2021
With Memo Fantasma’s arrest, InSight Crime has proven that our investigations can and will uncover major criminal threats in the Americas.
THE ORGANIZATION
Organized Crime’s Influence on Gender-Based Violence
30 JUN 2021
InSight Crime investigator Laura N. Ávila spoke on organized crime and gender-based violence at the launch of a research project by the United Nations Development Programme.
THE ORGANIZATION
Conversation with Paraguay Judicial Operators on PCC
24 JUN 2021
InSight Crime Co-director Steven Dudley formed part of a panel attended by over 500 students, all of whom work in Paraguay's judicial system.