Human trafficking is one of the most complex and misunderstood criminal economies in the world. This is especially true along the US-Mexico border.
The Gangster Governor of Zulia: The Rise and Fall of Venezuela’s Omar Prieto
INVESTIGATIONS
/ 20 SEP 2023
Download the full report (PDF) The blood streamed down Eduardo Labrador’s face and splattered across his shirt. “Film me! Film me!” he shouted at…
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
Nigerian Couriers Central to Brazil-West Africa Cocaine Route
BRAZIL
/
28 SEP 2023
Although they traffic cocaine in smaller amounts, Nigerian groups still manage to move large quantities from Brazil to world markets.
NEWS
Migrant Smugglers Continue to Benefit From Venezuela Crisis, US Policy
MEXICO
/
27 SEP 2023
International experts are predicting continued high levels of migration from Venezuela, which could prove a boon for organized crime groups that have already capitalized on the ongoing exodus and confusion…
NEWS
Costa Rica Breaks Homicide Record Amid Security Coordination Struggles
COSTA RICA
/
26 SEP 2023
Homicides are higher than ever in Costa Rica as authorities struggle to find the coordination required to tackle issue.
NEWS
Has Venezuela Prison Raid Smashed Tren de Aragua?
TREN DE ARAGUA
/
25 SEP 2023
The Venezuelan government claims to have dismantled the Tren de Aragua gang, but its leaders have escaped and its operations seem untouched.
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.
Featured Reporting and Analysis
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
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
The PNFAS has been the scene of two massacres. For years, the tension between Barrio 18 and MS13 escalated.
BARRIO 18
/
16 AUG 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
Human trafficking is prevalent and pervasive in Ciudad Juárez, and relies on either direct state participation, malpractice, or indifference.
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…