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…
InSight Crime Podcast: The Good Student
In this week's podcast, we finish our series on illegal campaign financing in Guatemala, focusing on current President Jimmy Morales.
InSight Crime Podcast: The 'Car Thief'
In our podcast this week, we return to Guatemala for the second of three stories on illicit campaign financing in that country to discuss Juan Carlos Monzón, the former private…
InSight Crime Podcast: Guatemala's Political Fixer
In our inaugural podcast, we look at Guatemala's putrid campaign finance system through the story of Obdulio Solórzano, a political fixer for the UNE party who was assassinated in 2010, after…
About InSight Crime
Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted
This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…
Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention
Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…
InSight Crime on El País Podcast
This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.
InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press
This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…
Escaping Barrio 18
Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…
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