Alex Papadovassilakis

Guatemala’s President-Elect Still Has 1 More Hurdle to Cross

ELITES AND CRIME / 21 AUG 2023

Bernardo Arévalo won Guatemala's presidential election. But he will face more challenges from political elites before taking up the post.

Historic Guatemala Elections Poised to Rattle Corrupt Establishment

ELITES AND CRIME / 27 JUN 2023

Left-wing candidate Bernardo Arévalo caused a dramatic upset in Guatemala's elections, securing a run-off with Sandra Torres of UNE.

UNE’s One-Pronged Strategy

COCAINE / 19 JUN 2023

Former first lady and repeat presidential candidate, Sandra Torres, is once again competing to become president of Guatemala.

GameChangers 2022: El Salvador's Gang Crackdown Has Steep Human Rights Cost

BARRIO 18 / 26 DEC 2022

El Salvador's ruthless gang crackdown has led to mass incarceration and human rights abuses. But will it be replicated elsewhere?…

Brokers and US Banks: How Honduras’ Atlantic Cartel Laundered Millions

COCAINE / 29 JUL 2022

The case of a Honduran broker who laundered cartel money has shed light on the importance of US banks.

US Corruption List in Central America: More Bark, Little Bite

EL SALVADOR / 20 JUL 2022

The US government has added dozens of individuals to a list of allegedly corrupt actors in Central America.

Is El Salvador Willing to Extradite MS13 Leaders to US or Just Playing for Time?

EL SALVADOR / 14 JUL 2022

A turnaround in El Salvador’s position on extraditing gang members has come amid US pressure and rumblings in the criminal underworld.

The Jalisco Cartel's Quiet Expansion in Guatemala

COCAINE / 18 MAY 2022

Early investigations indicate the CJNG is striking partnerships with drug rings in Guatemala that receive shipments of cocaine from Colombia and Venezuela and deliver them to the cartel.

Will Soaring Arrests in El Salvador Overwhelm its Prisons?

BARRIO 18 / 16 MAY 2022

As part of his sweeping gang crackdown, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has overseen the mass imprisonment of tens of thousands of people, potentially jeopardizing recent efforts to mitigate overcrowding…

El Salvador Shifts Mano Dura Security Policies into Overdrive

BARRIO 18 / 12 APR 2022

With a near unprecedented wave of arrests, the El Salvador government is doubling down and expanding on heavy-handed security policies, known as mano dura, that have consistently failed to yield…

Gang Murder Rampage Sends Shockwaves Through El Salvador Government

BARRIO 18 / 28 MAR 2022

A killing spree unlike anything seen since El Salvador’s civil war has delivered a macabre message from the country’s street gangs, which have learned that spikes in homicides speak to…

US Sanctions Up Ante in Hunt for Guatemala's Huistas

COCAINE / 23 MAR 2022

The United States government has ramped up its pursuit of one of Guatemala’s most enduring drug clans – the so-called “Huistas.”…

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…