Major Drug Bust Underlines Panama’s Growing Transit Use
A one ton drugs bust near the border with Colombia has shone a light on the increasing use of Panama as a transit nation, part of a continuing shift away…
Rumors Fuel The Legend of the “Narco-Saint”
The reported arrest of a financial operator for "The Craziest One," the former leader of Mexico's Familia Michoacana, has fueled rumors that the cartel boss, hailed by followers as a…
Can Peru Extend Coca Eradication Success into the VRAEM?
The Peruvian government has announced plans to attempt major coca eradication in the VRAEM region for the first time this year, a necessary step but one that could lead to…
Mexico Vigilantes’ Protection Fees Echo Colombia’s Paramilitaries
Mexico mining companies extorted by criminal groups are reportedly paying Michoacan self-defense forces for protection, a development that places the groups on a disturbingly similar path to that taken by the…
Could it Be that the Venezuela Murder Rate Did Peak in 2008?
As Interior Minister Miguel Rodriguez Torres and the Venezuelan Violence Observatory battle it out over the 2013 murder figures, most Venezuelans shrug their shoulders and believe who they want to…
Will Ecuador Extortion Rise with Growth of International Organized Crime?
Prosecutors in Ecuador are investigating a wave of extortions believed to have been carried out by the same criminal group, raising the question of what effect the growing presence of…
Zetas Training US Gang Members in Mexico: Witness
Members of the Texas-born Barrio Azteca gang are receiving training from Mexico's Zetas, according to the testimony of a former gang member, a sign the group is evolving and deepening…
Colombia Seizing Over $300,000 of Contraband a Day
In just the first 20 days of January 2014, Colombia's tax and customs police (Polfa) seized nearly $6.5 million in contraband products. The most commonly smuggled items were clothes, shoes and…
The Risks and Benefits of Legalizing Mexico’s Vigilantes
Animal Politico consulted experts who explained the risks and benefits of legalizing the vigilantes in Michoacan, Mexico, following the signing of an eight-point agreement between the three levels of Mexico's…
Rise in Argentina Ecstasy Seizures Suggests Production Migration
Seizures of ecstasy tablets in Buenos Aires increased 2,900 percent between 2011 and 2013, in what could be a sign that the country's growing domestic market for synthetic drugs is…
Corruption Fueling Black Markets in Guatemala Prisons
Corruption in Guatemala's prisons has created a prison black market where everything from cell phones to prison transfers are for sale, in another sign of the deep rooted institutional weakness…
Assault on UPP Base Sign of Cracks in Rio’s ‘Pacification’ Program
Brazil's military police have killed six people in response to a gang assault against a Rio de Janeiro Police Pacification Unit, as the city's "pacification" program wavers in the face…
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InSight Crime Events – Border Crime: The Northern Triangle and Tri-Border Area
Through several rounds of extensive field investigations, our researchers have analyzed and mapped out the main illicit economies and criminal groups present in 39 border departments spread across the six countries of study – the Northern Triangle trio of Guatemala, Honduras, and El…
InSight Crime’s ‘Memo Fantasma’ Investigation Wins Simón Bolívar National Journalism Prize
The staff at InSight Crime was awarded the prestigious Simón Bolívar national journalism prize in Colombia for its two-year investigation into the drug trafficker known as “Memo Fantasma,” which was…
InSight Crime – From Uncovering Organized Crime to Finding What Works
This project began 10 years ago as an effort to address a problem: the lack of daily coverage, investigative stories and analysis of organized crime in the Americas. …
InSight Crime – Ten Years of Investigating Organized Crime in the Americas
In early 2009, Steven Dudley was in Medellín, Colombia. His assignment: speak to a jailed paramilitary leader in the Itagui prison, just south of the city. Following his interview inside…
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