Guatemala Elites and Organized Crime: The CICIG
Like any arm of the justice system, the United Nations-backed International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (Comisión Internacional Contra la Impunidad en Guatemala - CICIG) had its battles with elites…
Guatemala Elites and Organized Crime: The 'Huistas'
In the northwest corner of Guatemala, a little known criminal organization known as the "Huistas" dominates the underworld, in large part due its ties with businessmen, law enforcement officials and…
Guatemala Elites and Organized Crime: Introduction
Guatemala is Central Americas most populous country and its largest economy. But an intransigent elite, an ambitious military and a weak state has opened the way for organized crime to…
A Bomb Explodes, a Gang Purges Its Own, Guatemala Scratches Its Head
When a small explosive device was detonated remotely in a bus in Guatemala this past March, authorities were alarmed. Then gang leaders apologized and purged the perpetrators, leaving authorities confused.
Colombia Elites and Organized Crime: 'Jorge 40'
Rodrigo Tovar Pupo never imagined it would come to this: dressed in an orange jumpsuit in a Washington DC courtroom and standing in front of a United States federal judge,…
The Murder of Guatemala’s Prison ‘King’ Byron Lima: A 'Self-Coup d’etat'? (Part III)
Shortly after Otto Pérez Molina was elected president of Guatemala, Byron Lima Oliva, the once-decorated former army captain, jailed for the murder of a bishop, sat down to write an…
The Byron Lima Murder in Guatemala: A 'Crime of the State'? (Part II)
On July 18, the day former Army Capt. Byron Lima -- Guatemalas one-time king of the prison system -- was killed in an apparent squabble with another powerful inmate, his…
Who Killed Guatemala's Prison 'King' Byron Lima? (Part I)
In what will undoubtedly be the first of many official versions regarding the July 18 murder of Guatemalas most famous prisoner, Byron Lima, the governments civilian intelligence agency blamed a…
Honduras Officials Link Hydroelectric Company to Activist's Murder
Honduras authorities captured four men for the March murder of activist Berta Cáceres -- two of which have direct ties to the hydroelectric company she and others have been battling…
Guatemala Authorities Capture Ex-Military Turned Drug Trafficker
Guatemalan authorities, working with the United States government, captured what some are calling the country's largest drug trafficker, a former military officer turned criminal with a reputation for extreme…
Is Honduras' MS13 a Drug Trafficking Organization? An Obscure Fugitive May Have the Answer
An obscure figure connected to the MS13 may hold the key to understanding just how much the street gang has evolved in Honduras, and whether it is really making the…
Prominent El Salvador Businessman Tied to Suspected Drug Planes
The Martin County Sheriff's Office in Florida has filed a probable cause petition asking a judge to ratify the forfeiture of four aircraft authorities say belong to the prominent El…
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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