The last year has seen criminal governance thrive in Latin America and the Caribbean as resistance erodes. InSight Crime’s investigators break down the year’s biggest stories from across the region.
Migration continued at record levels, with many seeking refuge from organized crime and corruption, only to end up abused and exploited by those same forces during their journeys. Ecuador found itself locked in a complicated battle for control of its prisons and its streets, pitting the state against powerful but fragmenting gangs. Criminal groups elsewhere in the region attacked and corrupted the democratic process in new and alarming ways. And record levels of cocaine production and consumption are pouring fuel on an already raging fire.
Series Chapters
GameChangers 2024: Resistance to Organized Crime Withers
This year, state resistance to organized crime in the Americas faded, as criminal organizations became more entrenched in governments across the region.
GameChangers 2024: Crime Cashes in on Migration Boom
As a growing number of people fled their homes across Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024, migrant smuggling completed its transformation from a tertiary criminal economy to a major…
GameChangers 2024: Ecuador Finds Victory Elusive in ‘War on Gangs’
Ecuador became the latest Latin American nation to turn to a militarized response to combat organized crime in 2024. But the crackdown has missed its mark, leading to a reorganization…
GameChangers 2024: Organized Crime Gets Political
Criminal organizations showed this past year that they pose a growing threat to democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean, exerting nefarious influence over numerous elections and political situations throughout…
GameChangers 2024: Networks Replace Cartels in Cocaine Trade
As record flows of cocaine reached consumers around the globe in 2024, criminal organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean have adapted to law enforcement pressure, swapping hegemonic hierarchies for…
GameChangers 2024: Narco Money Scandals Reach the Apex of Political Power in the Americas
The year 2024 included some stark reminders that drug trafficking money can reach the highest levels of politics. From Honduras to Mexico to Colombia, allegations of narco-political contributions shook the…
GameChangers 2024: Global Cocaine Networks and Trump 2
Increased cocaine production delivered an extra $25 billion in earnings to transnational organized crime in 2024, ensuring greater criminal sophistication and state penetration which, combined with a new Trump administration,…
Donate and attend our panel Criminal GameChangers: Fieldwork Insights and What Lies Ahead. (Registration closed)
InSight Crime co-directors Steven Dudley and Jeremy McDermott will join some of our most experienced field investigators for a discussion of the Criminal GameChangers annual series.
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