COVID-19: Gangs, Statemaking, Threats and Opportunities
It was March 2020, not long after fear of the coronavirus began spreading across the Americas, when several major criminal groups started employing their own form of a lockdown.
Salvatore Ponzo and the Italian Mafia's Infiltration of Costa Rica
The photos in the Costa Rican press showed Salvatore Ponzo, the Italian fruit exporter, with a neatly trimmed beard and polite smile, wearing polo shirts and baseball caps emblazoned with…
The El Salvador President’s Informal Pact with Gangs
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has vehemently denied swapping favors with gangs, but a slew of government officials and a person working directly with the government say there is an…
Why Oil Theft Spread Across Latin America During Pandemic
From mostly being a lower-level criminal annoyance, oil theft has spread across Latin America during the coronavirus pandemic as a way for gangs to supply thriving black markets, sidestep official…
Brazil Goes After Gang Finances But With Little Guarantee of Success
Recent operations in Brazil against the country’s two leading gangs, the PCC and Red Command, show that authorities are varying up their tactics but may still struggle to have a…
'We Ruled' - Excerpt from MS-13: The Making of America's Most Notorious Gang
Alma* arrived in Texas like so many others had and would in the years to come: on her own. She had just turned fourteen, and she was one of many…
Suriname's Jaguar Trade: From Poaching to Paste
The jaguar’s head slumps over the back of an all-terrain vehicle. A lifeless paw outstretched above a large muddied tire provides a glimpse of its former mass and power.
El Salvador's President Bukele Linked to Venezuelan Money Laundering Scheme: Report
Public officials and private individuals close to the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, are linked to a massive money laundering scheme involving Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA, according…
Paraguay's EPP Seemingly Transformed Under New Leadership
Over a week out from the kidnapping of Paraguay’s former vice president by the EPP guerrilla, it seems clear that this old enemy of the state has returned, albeit under…
Deaths Inside Venezuelan Prisons Doubled During Pandemic
Inmate deaths have doubled in Venezuela's jails during the coronavirus pandemic, a crisis that underscores how the country's anarchic prisons foment violence and spread disease.
Are Recent Cocaine Busts Evidence of Revived Jamaica-UK Drug Route?
Drug mules in Jamaica made a habit of exploiting weak controls on commercial flights to move cocaine into the United Kingdom before a law enforcement crackdown significantly deterred such criminal…
US Hemorrhaging Weapons to Mexico, One at a Time
A recent UN report shows that traffickers move weapons from the United States to Mexico in small quantities, even a single firearm at once, in a divergence from global arms…
About InSight Crime
InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report continues to be a reference in the region
For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…
InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited
We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.
InSight Crime’s Paraguay Election Coverage Draws Attention
InSight Crime looked at the various anti-organized crime policies proposed by the candidates in Paraguay’s presidential election, which was won on April 30 by Santiago Peña. Our pre-election coverage was cited…
InSight Crime Cited in OAS, CARICOM Reports
This week, InSight Crime’s work was cited nine times in a new report by the Organization of American States (OAS) titled “The Impact of Organized Crime on Women,…
InSight Crime Staff Cited as Experts by International Media
This week, InSight Crime deputy editor, Juan Diego Posada, was interviewed by the Associated Press about connections between the ex-FARC mafia and Brazilian criminal groups, and…
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