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
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…
El Coqui’s Ambition Fuels Urban Warfare in Caracas
Recent shootouts between security forces and Venezuela's El Coqui gang included a clash in which at least two dozen people were gunned down, and experts warn of continued violence as…
Minor Players Take Center Stage in Guatemala Drug Trade
An anti-narcotics operation targeting an alleged trafficking ring in Guatemala has shed light on the increasing importance of small, often discrete transport networks in the country's cocaine trade.
Investigations
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