Memo Fantasma Faces Up to 40 Years as Lawyer Also Investigated
Alleged drug trafficker alias "Memo Fantasma" or "Will the Ghost," was formally charged during a March 9 virtual audience, of money laundering and criminal conspiracy. His lawyer also appears to…
GameChangers 2021: Long on Criminality, Short on Democracy in Year to Come
Prediction of the criminal dynamics for 2022 is even harder than most years, as it involves predicting the march of coronavirus. Organized crime does not exist in a bubble.
Memo Fantasma Wants Out of Prison in Colombia
Accused paramilitary drug lord “Memo Fantasma,” or “Will the Ghost,” has petitioned a judge to be let out of a Colombian prison while he awaits trial. Worth millions of dollars…
The Future of the Cocaine Trade to Europe
The flow of cocaine to Europe may have suffered along with most licit businesses due to the Covid-19 crisis, but few believe the damage to the drug trade will be…
Cocaine to Europe: An Underestimated Threat
Over the last five years, the cocaine trade has enjoyed an unprecedented boom, with production levels at record highs.
GameChangers 2020: Predictions for 2021 - Shaking Off the Virus
Organized crime had to tighten its belt in 2020, and pickings remain lean as world economies contract and movement is restricted. Yet this crisis is likely to be a temporary…
Will New Arrest Warrant Hamstring Colombia Peace Process?
The Colombian government has issued an arrest warrant for one of the FARC’s most militant commanders, which may result in him being expelled from the peace…
GameChangers 2017: What to Watch for in 2018
Organized crime thrives amid political corruption and uncertainty. There will be plenty of this in Latin America in 2018, helping organized crime deepen its roots across the region over the…
GameChangers 2017: Is Colombia’s FARC Really Gone?
Has Colombia's FARC really left the country's criminal scene? Yes, and absolutely not. The rebel army is gone, and has become a political party. The FARC Mafia is just coming…
The FARC's Riches: Up to $580 Million in Annual Income
The former rebels of what was once Latin America's oldest insurgency, the FARC, continually claimed to have barely any money. And while they did have a lot of expenses, they…
Record Cocaine Production in Colombia Fuels New Criminal Generation
Colombia is now producing more cocaine than ever before, just as a new chapter in the country's criminal history begins and the government tries to implement a peace agreement with…
GameChangers 2016: Red Flags for 2017
At the end of every year, InSight Crime looks into the crystal ball and predicts what the big criminal risks are likely to be during 2017. These are what we…