Human trafficking is prevalent and pervasive in Ciudad Juárez, and relies on either direct state participation, malpractice, or indifference.
The Gangster Governor of Zulia: The Rise and Fall of Venezuela’s Omar Prieto
INVESTIGATIONS
/ 20 SEP 2023
The blood streamed down Eduardo Labrador’s face and splattered across his shirt. “Film me! Film me!” he shouted at the journalist who had come to check on him. As he addressed…
Escobar’s Former Hitman Takes the Road to 'Total Peace' in Medellín, Colombia
INVESTIGATIONS
/ 13 SEP 2023
Pablo Escobar's former hitman, Henry Holguín, explains how he exchanged killing for peacebuilding ahead of Colombia's Total Peace talks.
NEWS
El Salvador Police Reports Contradict Bukele's Triumphalism
BARRIO 18
/
22 SEP 2023
Confidential police reports reveal that the three main gangs operating in El Salvador remain a real threat.
NEWS
How El Salvador’s Police Creates, Uses Its Gang Database
BARRIO 18
/
22 SEP 2023
A close look at El Salvador's Police Information System, which is used to collect and analyze information on criminals in the country.
NEWS
Venezuelan Military ‘Invades’ Notorious Prison
PRISONS
/
20 SEP 2023
In a clear show of force, the Venezuelan state launched an unprecedented operation, surrounding the Tocorón prison in Aragua.
NEWS
Grenades Becoming Trademark of Venezuelan Extortion Gangs in Peru
PERU
/
19 SEP 2023
Venezuelan extortion gangs have made grenades a common part of their modus operandi to force victims to pay up. Now, the tactic has come to Peru.
NEWS
An Extradition (and a Fentanyl Prohibition) as Mexico Tries a Counterdrug Reset
CHAPITOS
/
18 SEP 2023
In Mexico, criminal groups have prohibited fentanyl production, and the state extradited a top trafficker. Could this mean new US-Mexico counternarcotic relations?…
NEWS
Venezuela Could Be Supplying Colombia’s Cocaine Labs With Scarce Precursor
VENEZUELA
/
15 SEP 2023
Venezuela produces industrial quantities of urea, tons of which are stolen and smuggled into Colombia to feed cocaine labs.
NEWS
Why Chinese Mafias Are Moving Into Chile
CHINA AND CRIME
/
14 SEP 2023
A Chinese crime group, the Bang, has made major inroads into Chile, setting up a marijuana empire and smuggling in migrants to work there.
NEWS
The Opportunities and Pitfalls of Colombia's Ambitious New Drug Policy
COLOMBIA
/
12 SEP 2023
President Gustavo Petro is seeking a radical shift in the way Colombia fights cocaine trafficking. But he may quickly run out of time.
NEWS
Honduras’ Stalled AG Election Shows Political Obstacles to Fighting Crime
HONDURAS
/
11 SEP 2023
Deadlock over attorney general selection in Honduras underscores the political obstacles to the country's justice system.
NEWS
Guatemala Ex-President Pleads Guilty in Graft Case Amid Shifting Corruption Climate
GUATEMALA
/
8 SEP 2023
Former Guatemalan president Otto Pérez Molina's guilty plea could be an attempt to avoid Arévalo's incoming anti-impunity push.
Venezuelan Military ‘Invades’ Notorious Prison
PRISONS
/
20 SEP 2023
Why Chinese Mafias Are Moving Into Chile
CHILE
/
14 SEP 2023
Featured Reporting and Analysis
The PNFAS has been the scene of two massacres. For years, the tension between Barrio 18 and MS13 escalated.
BARRIO 18
/
16 AUG 2023
The state of Ecuador’s security institutions and their inability to halt runaway criminal violence has been a central theme of the country’s ongoing presidential campaign. But facing underfunding and corruption,…
ECUADOR
/
5 SEP 2023
In Tijuana, local pimps often form part of small, family-based human trafficking networks, which can also work with organized crime groups.
HUMAN RIGHTS
/
30 AUG 2023
Pablo Escobar's former hitman, Henry Holguín, explains how he exchanged killing for peacebuilding ahead of Colombia's Total Peace talks.
COLOMBIA
/
13 SEP 2023
Human trafficking is one of the most complex and misunderstood criminal economies in the world. This is especially true along the US-Mexico border.
HUMAN RIGHTS
/
30 AUG 2023
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InDepth
About InSight Crime
THE ORGANIZATION
InSight Crime Contributes Expertise Across the Board
22 SEP 2023
This week InSight Crime investigators Sara García and María Fernanda Ramírez led a discussion of the challenges posed by Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s “Total Peace” plan within urban contexts. The…
THE ORGANIZATION
InSight Crime Cited in New Colombia Drug Policy Plan
15 SEP 2023
InSight Crime’s work on emerging coca cultivation in Honduras, Guatemala, and Venezuela was cited in the Colombian government’s…
THE ORGANIZATION
InSight Crime Discusses Honduran Women's Prison Investigation
8 SEP 2023
Investigators Victoria Dittmar and María Fernanda Ramírez discussed InSight Crime’s recent investigation of a massacre in Honduras’ only women’s prison in a Twitter Spaces event on…
THE ORGANIZATION
Human Trafficking Investigation Published in Leading Mexican Newspaper
1 SEP 2023
Leading Mexican media outlet El Universal featured our most recent investigation, “The Geography of Human Trafficking on the US-Mexico Border,” on the front page of its August 30…
THE ORGANIZATION
InSight Crime's Coverage of Ecuador Leads International Debate
25 AUG 2023
This week, Jeremy McDermott, co-director of InSight Crime, was interviewed by La Sexta, a Spanish television channel, about the situation of extreme violence and insecurity in Ecuador…