In a Paraguay border state, drug traffickers and dirty politicians find common ground, and political fights spill into the underworld.
NEWS
LatAm Crime Groups Set Sights on Europe’s Bustling Cocaine Market
COCAINE
/
2 MAR 2021
With higher profits and lower risks than the United States, Europe has emerged recently as arguably the most important cocaine market in the world.
NEWS
Colectivos Ramp Up Property Seizures in Venezuela
COLECTIVOS
/
2 MAR 2021
An increase in the number of reports of illegal invasions of homes and commercial establishments in Venezuela during the pandemic has revealed the ever-widening criminal portfolio managed by militant civilian…
NEWS
French Guiana’s Unpatrolled Waters Lure Illegal Fishing Crews
BRAZIL
/
2 MAR 2021
Illegal fishing off the coast of French Guiana surged amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as French maritime patrols struggled to mobilize resources, luring illegal fishing crews to the country's pristine waters.
NEWS
4 Key Takeaways from the Romanian Mafia in Mexico
MEXICO
/
1 MAR 2021
An investigation into a criminal group, led by Romanians based in Mexico and specialized in ATM skimming and credit card fraud, has continued to uncover fascinating details about how the…
NEWS
Belize Officials, Police Help Hide Drug Planes
BELIZE
/
1 MAR 2021
A recent drug plane interception in Belize has unveiled the role corrupt officials have been playing in facilitating the nation's use as a transit point for cocaine.
NEWS
Latin America’s Bustling Trade in Seahorses to China
ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME
/
27 FEB 2021
A new investigation has identified Mexico as a major contributor to a global seahorse trafficking network centered around China but it seems likely that this trade is also affecting other…
NEWS
Europe Cocaine Hauls Reach New Record Heights
BOLIVIA
/
26 FEB 2021
While the seizure of 23 tons of cocaine by German, Belgian and Dutch police, the largest-ever haul of the drug in the EU, was noteworthy, it serves as merely the…
NEWS
Paraguay Grapples with Evolving Crime, Persistent Corruption
COCAINE
/
26 FEB 2021
Paraguay has long been a key link in South America's drug trafficking chain, but has grown in importance with the emergence of new criminal players and economies.
NEWS
Venezuela Oil Crisis May Set Limits on PDVSA Impunity
ELITES AND CRIME
/
25 FEB 2021
Venezuelan officials may have finally met a PDVSA corruption scandal they cannot allow to go unpunished, hinting at just how dire the country’s oil and gas shortage has become.
NEWS
Venezuela’s Saab Story Continues With Benefit Concert
ELITES AND CRIME
/
25 FEB 2021
As alleged Maduro financier Alex Saab awaits potential extradition to the United States, the Venezuelan government decided that a concert catered by a company linked to Saab’s illicit activities would…
4 Key Takeaways from the Romanian Mafia in Mexico
MEXICO
/
1 MAR 2021
Belize Officials, Police Help Hide Drug Planes
BELIZE
/
1 MAR 2021
Europe Cocaine Hauls Reach New Record Heights
BOLIVIA
/
26 FEB 2021
Featured Reporting and Analysis
The party that has governed Honduras since 2010 has become a federation that welcomes politicians and officials involved in criminal businesses ranging from timber to drug trafficking to the misappropriation…
COCAINE
/
16 FEB 2021
The flow of cocaine to Europe may have suffered along with most licit businesses due to the Covid-19 crisis, but few believe the damage to the drug trade will be…
COCAINE
/
9 FEB 2021
It was around 5 a.m. when the MSC Gayane cargo freighter docked in the port of Philadelphia on June 17, 2019. Instead of continuing on to its scheduled destination –…
BRAZIL
/
9 FEB 2021
In July 2020, British drug trafficker Robert Dawes was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in one of the most emblematic European drug trafficking cases of the…
COCAINE
/
9 FEB 2021
Cocaine is a criminal steroid. Those that gain access to its riches enjoy accelerated growth and power – quickly – usually leaving a trail of violence and corruption in their…
COCAINE
/
9 FEB 2021
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NewsMakers
InDepth
Migrants Killed in Mexico Took Treacherous Path
HOMICIDES
/ 28 JAN 2021
Shrimp Gangs Rob, Extort, Kill in Ecuador
ECUADOR
/ 2 JAN 2021
Albanian Mafia Leaves Trail of Blood in Ecuador
COCAINE
/ 5 JAN 2021
About InSight Crime
THE ORGANIZATION
Strategic Communications Manager Job Description
12 FEB 2021
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…
THE ORGANIZATION
We Have Updated Our Website
4 FEB 2021
Welcome to our new home page. We have revamped the site to create a better display and reader experience.
THE ORGANIZATION
InSight Crime Events – Border Crime: The Northern Triangle and Tri-Border Area
ARGENTINA
/
25 JAN 2021
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…
BRIEF
InSight Crime’s ‘Memo Fantasma’ Investigation Wins Simón Bolívar National Journalism Prize
COLOMBIA
/
20 NOV 2020
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…
ANALYSIS
InSight Crime – From Uncovering Organized Crime to Finding What Works
COLOMBIA
/
12 NOV 2020
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. …