Mike LaSusa

Guatemala Elites Flex Muscle, Excluding Leading Presidential Contender

ELITES AND CRIME / 26 MAY 2023

Carlos Pineda, the leading candidate in Guatemala's presidential elections, has been removed from the race on a technicality.

Can Brazil’s Bolsonaro Deliver on Crime, Corruption Promises?

BRAZIL / 29 OCT 2018

Brazil's presidential election resulted in the victory of far-right populist Jair Bolsonaro, who has promised to crush rampant crime and corruption with an iron fist. But the president-elect may find…

Crime and Security High on Voters' Agendas in Brazil Election

BRAZIL / 1 OCT 2018

Brazil is just days away from the first round of this year's general election, and rising crime and security will play an important role in shaping the outcome of the…

US 'Call to Action' on Drugs Shows Slipping Global Leadership Role

DRUG POLICY / 25 SEP 2018

The United States put out a "Global Call to Action on the World Drug Problem" ahead of the annual United Nations General Assembly meeting, but several countries, including some prominent…

Can Governments Deter Violence Committed by Crime Groups?

BRAZIL / 18 SEP 2018

For decades, governments throughout Latin America have responded to violent criminal groups with militarized campaigns aimed -- in many cases futilely -- at dismantling or destroying them. These crackdowns often…

FARC Dissident Leader's Death Could Shake Up Colombia's Pacific Coast

COLOMBIA / 11 SEP 2018

Security forces in Colombia killed a high-level leader of a criminal group descended from recently demobilized leftist guerrillas, potentially paving the way for an outbreak of conflict along the Pacific…

How Brazil's Presidential Candidates Would Tackle Deepening Insecurity

BRAZIL / 30 AUG 2018

With crime and violence on the rise across Brazil, security has become a major theme in the run-up to the October presidential election. Do any of the candidates have a…

Massive Mexico Methamphetamine Seizure Reflects Market Shifts

METHAMPHETAMINE / 21 AUG 2018

Authorities in Mexico have made what is almost certainly the largest seizure of methamphetamine in the country's history, suggesting growing US demand has encouraged Mexican crime groups to increase production…

El Salvador Congress Makes 'Extraordinary' Prison Measures Permanent

EL SALVADOR / 20 AUG 2018

El Salvador's Congress passed a bill that makes permanent a previously temporary tightening of security measures in prisons, cementing a policy that has been criticized as ineffective and harmful to…

Are Mexico Crime Groups Fueling Rise in US Overdose Deaths?

DRUG POLICY / 16 AUG 2018

New data shows synthetic opioid drugs are driving a sustained increase in overdose deaths in the United States, and booming seizures of these drugs by US and Mexican authorities indicate…

US-Mexico 'Action Plan' Thinks Big, but Impact May Be Small

MEXICO / 16 AUG 2018

The United States and Mexico have announced plans for renewed cooperation on combating Mexico-based drug trafficking groups. But although the proposed strategy sounds promising on paper, it may be difficult…

Peru's Judicial Corruption Scandal, Explained

ELITES AND CRIME / 9 AUG 2018

Peru's entire judicial apparatus is in chaos following the leak of audio recordings that appear to show powerful officials engaged in various influence peddling and corruption schemes.

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…