Venezuelan Police Kill Diplomat's Daughter
The killing of a Chilean diplomat's daughter by Venezuelan police has provoked outrage and further highlighted problems with the security forces, even as crime rates skyrocket.
Colombia's 'Comba' Brother Arrested in Ecuador
Ecuador has arrested, and swiftly deported, one of the brothers that head Colombia's powerful Rastrojos gang, again showing how many of Colombia's capos prefer to reside outside of the country.
Former Paraguay Police Chief Arrested for Drug Smuggling
A former police chief in Paraguay is accused of trafficking after being captured moving cocaine, an arrest which highlights the vulnerability to corruption among security forces and the country's growing…
Colombia's Last Paramilitary Warlord Captured in Venezuela
Venezuelan authorities have captured the last of Colombia's paramilitary chieftains, marking the end of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), which dominated the drug trade for over…
Transnational Crime 'Abiding Threat' to National Security: US Intelligence
US intelligence chief James Clapper declared before a Senate committee that transnational criminal organizations, particularly those from Latin America, were an "abiding threat to US economic and national security interests."…
Former Head of Colombian Army Denies Links to Paramilitaries
Retired General Mario Montoya, former head of the Colombian Army, has denied having any links to the AUC, despite being implicated by former members of the illegal right wing paramilitary…
Colombian Gangs Battle It Out in Venezuela
Two of Colombia's most powerful drug trafficking organizations have taken their war across the border into Venezuela, eager to secure crossing points and influence in this crucial transit nation.
FARC Commander Proposes Talks with Colombian Govt
Almost exactly a decade after peace talks collapsed, the commander-in-chief of Colombia's FARC rebels has reached out to the president and suggested that negotiations pick up again where they left…
Urabeños Flex Their Muscles in North Colombia
With the imposition of a curfew that paralyzed transport and shut down business in northwestern Colombia, the Urabeños defied the government and protested the killing of their leader, Juan de…
Venezuela: Facilitator or Obstacle to Drug Trade?
Venezuela is now the principal transit nation for Colombian cocaine and the bridge for a large percentage of drugs heading to Europe. Yet it has made some of the most…
Has Guatemala Turned a Corner With Fall in Homicides?
The Guatemalan government announced that the murder rate has fallen under outgoing president Alvaro Colom, moving against the current of public opinion which believes that the security situation has actually…
Drug Crops Up, Interdiction Down in Peru
In 2011 Peru seized 13 tons of cocaine, just four percent of the estimated 330 tons that this Andean produced. Little wonder that drug traffickers are switching their attention from…
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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