Criminal Actors
Histories and profiles of organized crime groups, insurgencies, street gangs, vigilantes and the criminal actors that lead them.
Escritório do Crime
Escritório do Crime (Office of Crime) is one of the largest and most powerful militia groups in Brazil’s second-largest city,…
Fuerza Anti-Unión
La Fuerza Anti-Unión (FAU) is a criminal organization that has grown rapidly since its inception as a vigilante group.
La Unión Tepito
La Unión Tepito is a large criminal group indigenous to Mexico City, named after one of the capital’s largest neighborhoods.
Rotela Clan
Rotela Clan is a criminal group run by the Rotela family in Paraguay. It was originally specialized in the microtrafficking…
Segunda Marquetalia
The Segunda Marquetalia is a group made up of guerrillas, who once belonged to the FARC, but who refused to…
Ricardo Abel Ayala Ortega, alias ‘Cabuyo’
Ricardo Abel Ayala Ortega, alias "Cabuyo," is currently one of Colombia's highest value military targets and operates mainly in the…
Los Chapitos
The now-jailed former Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquín Guzmán Loera, alias “El Chapo,” had many sons, but only a select few…
Luis Agustin Caicedo Velandia, alias ‘Don Lucho’
For some two decades, Luis Agustin Caicedo Velandia, alias “Don Lucho,” is alleged to have played a significant role in…
José Antonio Yépez Ortiz, alias ‘El Marro’
José Antonio Yépez Ortiz, alias “El Marro,” is the leader of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel (CSRL) and one…
Marcelo Fernando Pinheiro Veiga, alias “Piloto”
Marcelo “Piloto” Pinheiro was considered one of the Brazilian government’s most sought-after drug traffickers until 2017. He is believed to…
Gilberto Aparecido Dos Santos, alias ‘Fuminho’
Gilberto Aparecido Dos Santos, alias “Fuminho,” is one of the leaders of Brazil’s largest and most powerful criminal organization, the…
Latest News
Ecuador Confronts Unprecedented Levels of Prison Violence
Long-simmering tensions between prison gangs in Ecuador exploded this week, leaving at least 75 people brutally killed in four prisons across the country.
Emma Coronel Aided ‘El Chapo’ Escape, Sinaloa Cartel Drug Trafficking: US
The indictment of the wife of convicted Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera has revealed her alleged role in the organization, ranging from her husband's messenger to coordinating…
How a US Court Ruling Impacts Gang Member Asylum Claims
A US federal appeals court has delayed the deportation of a former MS13 member to El Salvador, ruling that his status as a former gang member puts him in a…
Investigations
Chapters
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