Mexico’s Scaled Down Gendarmerie to Protect Industry
Mexico's Gendarmerie has been slated to begin operations as a force dedicated to protecting industries threatened by organized crime. The plans represent a significant scaling down of the size and…
Mexico Vigilante Leader Arrested, Conflict with Govt Intensifies
Protests have erupted in Mexico in response to the arrest of vigilante leader Jose Manuel Mireles after he led the takeover of a Michoacan town, as the rift between…
Key El Salvador Gang-Underworld Player May Go Free
One of El Salvador's most notorious underworld figures and a key link between the MS13 gang and drug traffickers is set to walk free in a blow to efforts to…
How a Guatemala Drug Trafficker Operated in Honduras
Intelligence reports obtained by the media in Honduras show how a captured drug trafficker and cocaine thief from Guatemala operated with the complicity of Honduran officials, highlighting the importance of Honduras…
US Puts Colombia’s Oficina de Envigado on Kingpin List Despite Decline
US authorities have placed Colombia's Oficina de Envigado on its Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers list in spite of the group's decline in recent years, in what appears to be a…
Was the Assassination of El Salvador’s ‘Chepe Luna’ a Criminal Hit or Just Business?
The alleged leader of El Salvador's Los Perrones drug running group "Chepe Luna" has been assassinated in Honduras, raising questions about whether he was killed because of his business operations…
Rebel Vigilante Militia Seizes Mexico Town in Threat to Legalization
A militia led by ousted vigilante leader Jose Manuel Mireles has seized a town near the port of Lazaro Cardenas in Michoacan as divisions in the self-defense movement threaten to derail moves…
A Closer Look at Brazil-Bound Drug Networks
Considering that Brazil is the second-biggest market for cocaine in the world, relatively little is known about the shadowy networks that connect it to drug producing nations in the region,…
‘Narco-Mom’ Takes Charge of Tijuana Cartel
The capture of Tijuana Cartel leader Fernando Sanchez Arellano has left his mother in charge of the Mexican drug trafficking group, a change that could herald a shift towards semi-legal…
UN Drug Report Highlights Shifting Patterns in Precursor Chemical Use
The United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC)'s most recent report on the global narcotics trade has placed a heavy emphasis on the illegal use of precursor chemicals in…
Trinidad Attorney Killed by International Drug Gang: US
US Assistant Secretary of State William Brownfield said the assassination of a leading attorney in Trinidad and Tobago was orchestrated by a transnational drug organization, pointing to the presence of…
Colombia Coca Cultivation Declines in Mining Regions
Total coca cultivation in Colombia remained stable in 2013, though it became more concentrated in certain regions of the country, due in part to a decline in coca crops in…
About InSight Crime
Strategic Communications Manager Job Description
InSight Crime is looking for a full-time strategic communications manager. This person needs to be able to work in a fast-paced world of daily news, high-profile investigations, national and international…
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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. …
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