What a Trump Presidency Means for LatAm Organized Crime
In the wake of Donald Trump's surprising victory in the US presidential election, InSight Crime considers the impact his administration could have on security and organized crime in Latin America.
Surge in Brazil Prison Murders Likely Linked to New Gang War
Prison murders have surged 60 percent in parts of northern Brazil, a potential sign of the serious repercussions of a new war between the country's two most powerful gangs.
Colombia Eradication Levels Plummet Despite Coca Boom
One year after Colombia's decision to halt the aerial fumigation of coca crops, eradication levels have plummeted at the same time that coca production continues to soar, a trend that…
New El Salvador Gang Strategy Targets Public Officials: Report
El Salvador's three main gangs have reportedly joined forces to carry out strategic assassinations against public officials, which if true would mark a troubling development in the gangs' conflict with…
Will Ortega's Grip on Nicaragua Politics Open Door to More Corruption?
Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega has been re-elected to a fourth term in office in a landslide victory. But as his inner circle tightens its hold on power, the legitimacy of state…
FARC 57th Front in Panama
The FARC's 57th Front is active along the Colombia-Panama border, where it has long used the dense strip of jungle known as the Darién Gap to traffic drugs into Central…
Mapping Paraguay's Marijuana Trail
A report has mapped how marijuana is trafficked through Paraguay and Argentina via thousands of kilometers of river, providing an insight into a less popular but high-capacity smuggling method.
Are More Than 5 Mn Colombians Involved in Illegal Activities?
Official estimates suggest that 11 percent of Colombia's population is allegedly involved in illegal activities, a questionable assertion that nonetheless evidences how deeply crime has infiltrated the country's population.
How Decentralizing Political Power Strengthened Colombia Crime Groups
A pair of recent reports highlights how Colombia's government decentralization process over the past 30 years has facilitated the incursion of organized crime into local politics, and how this development…
Brazil Police Killed At Least 3,300 Civilians in 2015
An average of nine people were killed per day at the hands of Brazil's notoriously violent police force in 2015, an increase from last year despite a nationwide drop in…
Murdered Guatemala Mayor Allegedly Linked to Drug Traffickers
The assassination of a Guatemala mayor with alleged links to a drug trafficking group illustrates the links between elites and criminal groups -- and the power they can wield over local…
'First' Seizure of FARC's Illegal Mining Assets Could Worsen Dissidence
Colombia's Attorney General has announced what appears to be the first ever seizure of mining-related FARC assets, potentially stirring up the already turbulent process of finding a resolution to the…
About InSight Crime
Criminal Enterprise on the High Seas
Last week, InSight Crime published the second half of an extensive investigation into Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing that plagues the waters of nine Latin American countries. Among the stories were how…
Oceans Pillaged in Central America and the Caribbean
Last week, InSight Crime published the first installment of a nine-part investigation uncovering the hidden depths of Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in Latin America. The first installment covered Central America and…
Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua Becomes Truly Transnational
This week, InSight Crime published a deep dive into the total control that Venezuelan mega-gang, Tren de Aragua, has over the lives of those it smuggles between Venezuela and Chile…
Turkish Traffickers Delivering Latin American Cocaine to Persian Gulf
Last week, InSight Crime published the second half of an investigation piecing together the emerging role of Turkish cocaine traffickers in supplying Russia and the Persian Gulf, which are among…
Turkey as a Lynchpin in European Cocaine Pipeline
InSight Crime is extending its investigation into the cocaine pipeline to Europe, and tracking the growing connections between Latin American drug traffickers and European criminal organizations. This led us to…
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