The shift from plant-based to synthetic drugs has upended the relationship between small farmers and crime groups in Mexico’s Golden Triangle.
NEWS
Record Cocaine Seizures in Colombia as Government Negotiates with Traffickers
COCAINE /
3 FEB 2023 
Colombia's negotiations with a range of criminal groups, as part of the Total Peace plan, will be complicated by record cocaine seizures.
NEWS
Latin America Makes Little Progress Against Corruption
COSTA RICA /
2 FEB 2023
Countries across Latin America continue to make stubbornly little progress in the fight against corruption.
NEWS
Sticks and Carrots: Lula's Balancing Act in Brazil's Crime-Wracked Amazon
BRAZIL /
1 FEB 2023
Brazil's president Lula is acting quickly to kick out illegal miners and loggers from the Amazon. But the right economic solutions are needed.
NEWS
Haiti Gangs Embrace Political and Police Chaos
ELITES AND CRIME /
31 JAN 2023
Haiti's security crisis is about to see another major evolution as gangs look to become the de facto authority in much of the country.
NEWS
Southern Mexico Extortion Suggests Migration of Central American Gangs
BARRIO 18 /
30 JAN 2023
While thousands of gang members have been arrested in El Salvador, some may have moved their activities to Mexico.
NEWS
CJNG Control of Illegal Mining in Michoacán, Mexico, Claiming Indigenous Lives
ILLEGAL MINING /
27 JAN 2023
With cartels like the CJNG muscling in on illegal mining in Michoacán, Mexico, Indigenous community members continue to suffer.
NEWS
Otoniel Pleads Guilty: Farewell to Colombia's Narco Old Guard
COLOMBIA /
26 JAN 2023
Otoniel, the fallen head of the Urabeños crime syndicate, has pleaded guilty in New York. His trial will mark the end of an era.
NEWS
Ecuador's Navy Grappling With Mounting Evidence of Criminal Collusion
COCAINE /
26 JAN 2023
Corrupt Navy troops in Ecuador can be highly useful for drug traffickers, either to protect cocaine shipments or to simply let them pass.
NEWS
Caribbean Nations Call for US Gun Crackdown as Murder Rates Soar
ARMS TRAFFICKING /
24 JAN 2023
As American-made guns continue to flood the Caribbean, heads of state are demanding that the US do more to stem the flow of weapons.
NEWS
Jamaica Seizing Ever-Larger Cocaine Shipments from Colombia
COCAINE /
23 JAN 2023
A string of large cocaine seizures in Jamaica suggests the island is becoming a central hub for trafficking to the United States and Europe.
Featured Reporting and Analysis
Colombian President Gustavo Petro's Total Peace plan faces a very tough road ahead. Can over 20 criminal groups really all commit to peace?…
COLOMBIA /
28 DEC 2022
Local drug sales in Sinaloa’s capital city are controlled by one of the most notorious and powerful organized crime families in Mexico.
CHAPITOS /
6 DEC 2022
To Desafio, the Barrio 18 gang in Honduras was everything. It provided a family, a sense of belonging. Until his life grew increasingly violent.
BARRIO 18 /
17 JAN 2023
In response to changes in the international marijuana trade, Mexico-based drug trafficking groups have shifted their strategies.
CHAPITOS /
6 DEC 2022
El Salvador's ruthless gang crackdown has led to mass incarceration and human rights abuses. But will it be replicated elsewhere?…
BARRIO 18 /
26 DEC 2022
Stay Informed with Weekly InSight
Our newsletter provides a weekly digest of the latest organized crime news, helping you to stay up-to-date on major events, trends and criminal dynamics from across the region.
SubscribeHelp Investigate Organized Crime in the Americas
We at InSight Crime investigate organized crime on the ground. What we do is dangerous and costly, and for that reason, we need resources. Support independent journalism.
About InSight Crime
THE ORGANIZATION
Escaping Barrio 18
27 JAN 2023
Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…
THE ORGANIZATION
Europe Coverage Makes a Splash
20 JAN 2023
Last week, InSight Crime published an analysis of the role of Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport as an arrival hub for cocaine and methamphetamine from Mexico. The article was picked up by…
THE ORGANIZATION
World Looks to InSight Crime for Mexico Expertise
13 JAN 2023
Our coverage of the arrest of Chapitos’ co-founder Ovidio Guzmán López in Mexico has received worldwide attention.In the UK, outlets including The Independent and BBC…
THE ORGANIZATION
InSight Crime Shares Expertise with US State Department
16 DEC 2022
Last week, InSight Crime Co-founder Steven Dudley took part in the International Anti-Corruption Conference organized by the US State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, & Labor and…
THE ORGANIZATION
Immediate Response to US-Mexico Marijuana Investigation
9 DEC 2022
InSight Crime’s investigation into how the legalization of marijuana in many US states has changed Mexico’s criminal dynamics made a splash this week appearing on the front page of…