CPI: Romanian Weapons Modified in the U.S. Become Scourge of Mexican Drug War
(With permission from the Center for Public Integrity.) Camron Scott Galloway, 21, walked into X Caliber Guns in Phoenix, Ariz., on Jan. 30, 2008, and filled out forms…
IRW: Romania, Vermont, Arizona: Guns Follow Complex Route to Mexican Cartels
(With permission from the Investigative Reporting Workshop.) Armed with assault rifles and hand grenades, Arturo Beltran Leyva, head of one of the most ruthless drug cartels in…
How the Beltran Leyva, Sinaloa Cartel Feud Bloodied Mexico
When war broke out between the Beltran Leyva Organization (BLO) and the Sinaloa Cartel in 2008, it was the bloody culmination of the unraveling of the Federation, the most powerful…
The Takedown of the 'Boss of Bosses'
United States and Mexican authorities were on the heels of Arturo Beltran Leyva, alias 'El Jefe de Jefes' (The Boss of Bosses), for nearly ten months before they finally surrounded…
How Guns are Trafficked Below the Border
On both sides of the border, Mexico's cartels have small teams that, among other assignments, procure weapons from different sources. However, according to law enforcement officials, it's unlikely, unnecessary and…
GunRunners - Introduction to the Joint Project
In the little over four years that Felipe Calderon has been president of Mexico, the Mexican government has registered 34,162 deaths due to organized criminal violence. It has also seized…
Maras' Connections to Criminal Syndicates Growing
Are the brutal mara gangs in Central America allying themselves with the Mexican drug cartels, and what might this mean for organized crime in the region? …
The Battle for Guatemala's Heart Has Begun
It's appropriate that Alta Verapaz, the province where the Guatemalan government has decided to start its fight against organized crime, is in the heart of the country, because the battle…
WikiLeaks: Zelaya and Organized Crime
The U.S. cable with several references to organized crime's ties to former Honduran President Mel Zelaya is a tantalizing document on many levels, mostly because of the casual way in…
How 'Mano Dura' is Strengthening Gangs
The United Nations and U.S. Southern Command estimate there are approximately 70,000 gang members, or so-called maras, most of them concentrated in the Northern Triangle: 36,000 in Honduras, 10,500 in…
La Guajira: Dynamics of the Conflict
La Guajira, the oft-forgotten, arid northeast corner of Colombia is one of Colombias most contentious and provides a window into the complexity of the current battles underway between organized criminal…
Central America's 'Transportistas'
The U.S. Government estimates that 90 percent of the illicit drugs entering its borders passes through the Central American Isthmus and Mexico. Of this, close to half goes through Central…
About InSight Crime
Venezuela Drug Trafficking Investigation and InDepth Gender Coverage
On May 4, InSight Crime will be publishing The Cocaine Revolution in Venezuela, a groundbreaking investigation into how the Venezuelan government regulates the cocaine trade in the country. An accompanying event,…
InDepth Coverage of Juan Orlando Hernández
Ever since Juan Orlando Hernández was elected president of Honduras in 2014, InSight Crime has provided coverage of every twist and turn during his rollercoaster time in office, amid growing…
Venezuela's Cocaine Revolution
On May 4th, InSight Crime will publish a groundbreaking investigation on drug trafficking in Venezuela. A product of three years of field research across the country, the study uncovers cocaine production in…
Widespread Coverage of InSight Crime MS13 Investigation
In a joint investigation with La Prensa Gráfica, InSight Crime recently revealed that four of the MS13’s foremost leaders had been quietly released from…
Informing US State Department and European Union
InSight Crime Co-director McDermott briefed the US State Department and other international players on the presence of Colombian guerrillas in Venezuela and the implication this has for both nations. McDermott…
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