Chasing Brazil’s Premier Money Launderer
There were few better at money laundering than the Brazilian Dario Messer, who, while scrambling to save himself from Brazilian authorities, did one last tour of his prime refuge, Paraguay,…
Intercepts Show How Brazil Police Extort PCC
“Plata o Plomo” is an overused phrase to describe the way criminals threaten officials and civilians to ensure compliance with their wishes. In one Brazilian case, it seems more appropriately…
While Taking Paraguay-Brazil Border, PCC Tries to Control Its Own
On June 10, 2016, Jorge Rafaat was driving his armored Hummer when he pulled up to a stop light in central Pedro Juan Caballero, a Paraguayan city at the border…
Court Case Paints Picture of Disorganization in Brazil’s PCC
The PCC is often described as Brazil’s most potent criminal gang, but a recent case against it paints a picture that belies the reputation of the group as a strict,…
How PCC ‘Discipline’ Helped Gang Control the Underworld
On November 14, 2016, about 12 p.m., Carlos Magno de Souza was driving along the asphalt streets of Peruíbe, São Paulo, past the single-story houses that dot the seaside city…
PCC: A Prison from Which There Is No Escape
It was a Tuesday night, January 14, 2020, after “free time” when prison authorities found his body.
PCC Investigation: Introduction and Major Findings
It was August 31, 1993, and the sun was shining when eight men entered a makeshift soccer pitch in the middle of the Taubaté prison.
What are the Signs a Latin American Prison Is Working or Not?
As part of his work in human rights, transitional justice and prison reform, Michael Reed has been inside dozens of prisons across the Americas. Reed, a dual US-Colombian citizen, is…
3 Reasons Why US is Epicenter for Big Cat Breeding, Trading
Netflix’s “Tiger King” fixated our gaze on the outlandish antics of Exotic Joe, but if you squint your eyes in just the right way, you could catch a glimpse of…
A Guatemala Drug Trafficking Chapter Ends in the US
A judge lowered the sentence of a convicted Guatemalan drug trafficker in a US court on February 22, just weeks after US federal authorities released another convicted Guatemalan trafficker from…
For Informant, a Treacherous Road to Justice in El Salvador
Even under the best of circumstances, there are few incentives to become a cooperating witness in an extortion case in El Salvador. And, as one witness has found out, participation…
El Salvador's Jailed Gang Mediator: ‘I feel defrauded’
The former leftist guerrilla and ex-congressman Raúl Mijango is jailed and facing 20 years in prison for extortion -- one of two crimes derived from his role in the gang…
About InSight Crime
Combating Environmental Crime in Colombia
InSight Crime presented findings from an investigation into the main criminal activities fueling environmental destruction in Colombia.
Collaborating on Citizen Security Initiatives
Co-director Steven Dudley worked with Chemonics, a DC-based development firm, to analyze the organization’s citizen security programs in Mexico.
InSight Crime Deepens Its Connections with Universities
A partnership with the University for Peace will complement InSight Crime’s research methodology and expertise on Costa Rica.
With Support from USAID, InSight Crime Will Investigate Organized Crime in Haiti
The project will seek to map out Haiti's principal criminal economies, profile the specific groups and actors, and detail their links to elements of the state.
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