Investigations

INVESTIGATIONS

Plunder and Danger on Argentina's Sea Shelf

ARGENTINA / 3 AUG 2022

Floodlights from Chinese fishing boats illuminate the darkness off Argentina’s Atlantic Coast, where the armada harvests tons of squid.

The Merluza Mafia: Middlemen Profit Off Cod Catch in Chile

CHILE / 3 AUG 2022

Middlemen in Chile control sales of merluza, a white-fleshed fish for which there is a large appetite.

Loopholes Fuel Shark Fin Trade in Ecuador

ECUADOR / 3 AUG 2022

Ecuador is a hotspot for landing massive amounts of shark catch, and the nation is among the world’s biggest exporters of shark fins.

At Uruguay's Port of Montevideo, a Deadly Circle of Fishing and Labor Abuse

ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME / 3 AUG 2022

Dozens of dead fishermen have been unloaded at Uruguay's Montevideo port. Vessels that dock there have been alleged to engage in abuse at sea.

High Hopes for Radar Crash Against Reality of Illegal Fishing in Costa Rica

COSTA RICA / 27 JUL 2022

The installation of a radar tower on Costa Rica’s Cocos Island heralded a new era for curbing illegal fishing in one of the world’s most biodiverse ocean regions.

Guyana Struggling to Tame Lawless Waters

ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME / 27 JUL 2022

Guyana claims some 42,800 square nautical miles of ocean. Enforcement capabilities extend to just a fraction of the country's waters.

Overharvesting and Poaching Devastate Jamaica's Fisheries

ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME / 27 JUL 2022

Jamaican fishers, largely ungoverned, are taking what they can from the country’s waters, while foreign vessels poach lobster and conch.

Panama Lending Flag to Most Destructive Fishing Ships

ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME / 27 JUL 2022

When the Chinese fishing fleet was discovered near Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands, its vessels were not all flagged to China. Some flew Panama’s flag.

Smugglers and Illegal Fishers Find a Haven in Suriname

ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME / 27 JUL 2022

A black market for fishing licenses is flourishing in Suriname. Fishers from Guyana rent them from boat owners for a few thousand dollars.

Memo Fantasma to Walk, Thanks to Colombian Prosecutor

AUC / 30 JUN 2022

Paramilitary drug lord, alias “Memo Fantasma” or “Will the Ghost,” may soon walk out of prison in Colombia, after the prosecutor fumbled two hearings designed to keep the accused in…

Memo Fantasma May Walk Out of Prison: Corruption or Incompetence?

AUC / 26 JUN 2022

The former paramilitary commander and drug lord, alias “Memo Fantasma,” may walk out of prison in Colombia on June 28.

The MS13 Will Never Be a Gang for Women

EL SALVADOR / 15 JUN 2022

Flaca was devoted to the MS13. But after suffering violence, abuse and rape, she turned to the one escape open to her: religion…

The Gospel of Man, in Church and Gang

EL SALVADOR / 15 JUN 2022

The MS13 gang and the Pentecostal Church are two worlds seemingly at odds. One man, known as Elvis, has a foot in both.

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Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua Becomes Truly Transnational

29 JUL 2022

This week, InSight Crime published a deep dive into the total control that Venezuelan mega-gang, Tren de Aragua, has over the lives of those it smuggles between Venezuela and Chile…

THE ORGANIZATION

Turkish Traffickers Delivering Latin American Cocaine to Persian Gulf

15 JUL 2022

Last week, InSight Crime published the second half of an investigation piecing together the emerging role of Turkish cocaine traffickers in supplying Russia and the Persian Gulf, which are among…

THE ORGANIZATION

Turkey as a Lynchpin in European Cocaine Pipeline

8 JUL 2022

InSight Crime is extending its investigation into the cocaine pipeline to Europe, and tracking the growing connections between Latin American drug traffickers and European criminal organizations. This led us to…

THE ORGANIZATION

Memo Fantasma Coverage Gets Worldwide Attention

1 JUL 2022

Guillermo Acevedo, the former Colombian drug lord and paramilitary commander better known as Memo Fantasma, may soon be allowed to leave prison. Since first revealing the identity of Memo Fantasma…

THE ORGANIZATION

Who Are Memo Fantasma and Sergio Roberto de Carvalho?

24 JUN 2022

Inside the criminal career of Memo Fantasma  In March 2020, InSight Crime revealed the identity and whereabouts of Memo Fantasma, a paramilitary commander and drug trafficker living in…

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