GameChangers 2020: How Organized Crime Survived the Pandemic
Welcome to InSight Crime’s Criminal GameChangers 2020, where we highlight the most important trends in organized crime in the Americas over the course of the year. …
Proxy Gang Wars Fuel Record Homicides in Ecuador’s Prisons
An ongoing gang war in Ecuador’s prisons has made 2020 the bloodiest year on record for inmates, underscoring how the country’s penitentiary system cannot contain the escalating conflict among an…
Major Oil Trader Fined for Bribes Across Latin America
The world’s biggest oil trading firm faces a large fine after a multi-country investigation revealed it bribed Brazilian, Mexican and Ecuadorian officials millions of dollars in exchange for competitive advantages,…
Drones Rain Contraband on Panama Prison
A burst of attempted contraband smuggling into Panama’s largest prison complex has challenged governments claims about the success of recent reforms in bolstering security within the country’s penitentiaries, as well…
Record Cocaine Haul at Belgium Port Uncovers Police Corruption
Authorities in Belgium have arrested a former top counter-narcotics official who they say is being investigated for suspected involvement with a ring that concealed 11.5 tons of cocaine in cargo…
Contraband Turns to Bloodshed Between Ecuador and Peru
A series of assassinations on Ecuador’s southern border with Peru have been attributed to gang members fighting for control of the illegal crossings by which both people and contraband are…
La Unión Tepito
La Unión Tepito is a large criminal group indigenous to Mexico City, named after one of the capital’s largest neighborhoods.
Brazilian Bank Slapped With Record Money Laundering Fine in Paraguay
Paraguayan authorities have announced historic sanctions against a major Brazilian bank in the latest case of Latin American governments cracking down on financial institutions that do not comply with anti-money…
Chinese Fishing Fleet Leaves Ecuador, Chile, Peru Scrambling to Respond
A new report suggests the Chinese fishing fleet that mass trawled just off Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands in recent months crossed the maritime boundary to fish illegally in Ecuadorian waters, sparking…
Mexico City Braces for Impact from Jalisco Cartel Advance
Despite having long played down the presence of the powerful Jalisco Cartel in Mexico City, a series of recent moves are making such denials increasingly pointless.
Dutch Ship Makes Waves with Record Cocaine Seizures in Caribbean
A patrol ship in the Dutch Caribbean has caught a ton of cocaine in a rapid series of seizures, displaying how regularly drug shipments traverse the area on their way…
Panama’s Bocas del Toro Archipelago New Cocaine Seizure Hotspot
Authorities in Panama’s northwestern province of Bocas del Toro have intercepted a string of vessels carrying large amounts of cocaine, a sign that traffickers are using the archipelago as…
About InSight Crime
Who Are Memo Fantasma and Sergio Roberto de Carvalho?
Inside the criminal career of Memo Fantasma In March 2020, InSight Crime revealed the identity and whereabouts of Memo Fantasma, a paramilitary commander and drug trafficker living in…
Environmental and Academic Praise
InSight Crime’s six-part series on the plunder of the Peruvian Amazon continues to inform the debate on environmental security in the region. Our Environmental Crimes Project Manager, María Fernanda Ramírez,…
Series on Plunder of Peru’s Amazon Makes Headlines
Since launching on June 2, InSight Crime’s six-part series on environmental crime in Peru’s Amazon has been well-received. Detailing the shocking impunity enjoyed by those plundering the rainforest, the investigation…
Duarte’s Death Makes Waves
The announcement of the death of Gentil Duarte, one of the top dissident commanders of the defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), continues to reverberate in Venezuela and Colombia.
Cattle Trafficking Acclaim, Investigation into Peru’s Amazon
On May 18, InSight Crime launched its most recent investigation into cattle trafficking between Central America and Mexico. It showed precisely how beef, illicitly produced in Honduras, Guatemala…
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