Venezuela's International Appetite for Stolen Luxury Cars
Specialist gangs are smuggling luxury vehicles from Colombia into Venezuela, shining a spotlight on how the country has become a destination for stolen cars from as far away as Miami.
How Many Colombian Fighters are Really Inside Venezuela?
Colombia’s top military commander says 40 percent of ELN and ex-FARC fighters operate in Venezuela, a figure that must be considered speculative but reflects important shifts in guerrilla dynamics, with…
Death of a Pran: Suicide Marks Venezuela Former Prison Boss’ Decline
Weeks after reports emerged of the suicide of a notorious Venezuelan prison gang boss in Colombia, authorities have confirmed the death of Edwin Ramón Soto Nava – a death that…
Venezuela Kidnappers Posing as Car Sellers to Lure Victims
The Venezuelan police have stepped in amid a spate of violent crimes caused by gang members pretending to sell cars online. The offer: people can use police stations to finalize…
Venezuela's Smaller Gangs Carve Out Local Criminal Fiefdoms
The visual is an arresting one. A Venezuelan army sergeant, his face swollen and his nose bleeding from a beating, is forced to speak on camera and tell his superiors…
In Venezuela, Prison Gang Chants Support for Politicians
Political support from career criminals is usually a matter of skulduggery and campaign finance. But one prison gang in Venezuela broke with tradition, releasing a video in which its members…
Ex-Lieutenant Allegedly Recruits Venezuelan Soldiers for Gang Attack on Illegal Mine
A former army lieutenant allegedly recruited Venezuelan soldiers to provide firepower for the Tren de Guayana gang in a bid to take over gold mining operations in southern Venezuela, revealing…
Are El Koki and His Gang Members No Longer Safe in Venezuela?
Police in Venezuela have killed a notorious gang leader while others are reportedly hiding in Colombia, raising questions about the state of one of Caracas’ most powerful criminal structures and…
Religious Statuettes Branded as El Koki for Sale in Caracas
Salesmen in Caracas have come up with an enterprising response to the Venezuelan capital’s descent into criminal warfare: selling devotional statuettes dressed like members of El Koki's gang.
Is Venezuela Getting Serious About Unseating El Koki?
Venezuelan forces have fought running gun battles in the streets of Caracas in recent days with members of the capital’s strongest gang, in an apparent attempt to finally unseat its…
Venezuela's Indigenous Warao Press-Ganged into Guyana's Illegal Gold Mines
Migrants from Venezuela's Warao Indigenous community who have been forced to flee to Guyana find themselves forcibly recruited to work as illegal miners in their new country.
Venezuela's Thriving Black Market for COVID-19 Vaccines
In the absence of an adequate COVID-19 vaccination plan, criminal networks in Venezuela have seized upon ongoing mismanagement to steal and resell doses or sell fake vaccines on the black…
About InSight Crime
Gender and Investigative Techniques Focus of Workshops
On November 23-24, InSight Crime conducted a workshop called “How to Cover Organized Crime: Investigation Techniques and A Focus on Gender.” The session convened reporters and investigators from a dozen…
InSight Crime Names Two New Board Members
In recent weeks, InSight Crime added two new members to its board. Joy Olson is the former executive director of the Washington Office on Latin America…
Senate Commission in Paraguay Cites InSight Crime
InSight Crime’s reporting and investigations often reach the desks of diplomats, security officials and politicians. The latest example occurred in late October during a commission of Paraguay's Senate that tackled…
Backing Investigative Journalism Around the Globe
InSight Crime was a proud supporter of this year's Global Investigative Journalism Conference, which took place November 1 through November 5 and convened nearly 2,000 journalists…
Tracking Dirty Money and Tren de Aragua
InSight Crime was delighted to support investigative reporting in the Americas through a workshop with our friends at Connectas, a non-profit journalism initiative that facilitates collaboration…
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