Investigating organized crime is an expensive and often risky enterprise. Reaching primary sources and getting the real story involve extensive fieldwork. Please donate. Every dollar supports our mission.
DONATE NOW
Criminal Actors
Histories and profiles of organized crime groups, insurgencies, street gangs, vigilantes and the criminal actors that lead them.
Seuxis Pausías Hernández, alias 'Jesús Santrich'
COLOMBIA PERSONALITIES
/
MAY 18, 2021
Seuxis Pausías Hernández Solarte, alias “Jesús Santrich,” was a senior former FARC commander who participated in that guerrilla group's demobilization…
Hernán Darío Velásquez Saldarriaga, alias 'El Paisa'
COLOMBIA
/
DECEMBER 9, 2021
Hernán Darío Velásquez, alias "El Paisa," was a top former leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
Walter Patricio Arizala, alias “Guacho”
COLOMBIA
/
JANUARY 18, 2019
Walter Patricio Arizala, alias “Guacho,” was one of the most wanted criminals in both Colombia and Ecuador, after military forces…
Jalisco Cartel New Generation (CJNG)
JALISCO CARTEL
/
11 DEC 2018
The CJNG is a criminal group that has evolved as a result of killings, captures and rifts in older cartels.
Marcos Willians Herbas Camacho, alias ‘Marcola’
BRAZIL
/
JULY 18, 2022
Marcos Willians Herbas Camacho, alias "Marcola," has been the top leader of the First Capital Command (Primeiro Comando da Capital…
Argentina Profile
Despite Argentina's prominent role as a money laundering center and as a drug transit and consumption point, the country does…
Amigos dos Amigos
AMIGOS DOS AMIGOS
/
MARCH 30, 2018
Amigos dos Amigos is a criminal group based in Brazil’s second-largest city, Rio de Janeiro.
The Colombian Mafia
COLOMBIA
/
13 MAR 2018
The Colombian mafia comprises networks of localized and shadowy groups and figures involved in illicit economies.
Colombia’s Comprehensive Approach for a Post-FARC State
COLOMBIA
/
9 MAR 2018
The demobilization of the FARC has simultaneously represented a significant challenge and a singular opportunity for the Colombian government.
José Bayron Piedrahita Ceballos, alias 'El Árabe,' or the 'Patron de Caucasia'
COLOMBIA MAFIA
/
MAY 10, 2019
José Bayron Piedrahita Ceballos is presumed to be one of the biggest drug lords in Colombia. During his criminal career…
Miguel Botache Santillana, alias 'Gentil Duarte'
COLOMBIA PERSONALITIES
/
MAY 26, 2022
Miguel Botache Santillana, better known as "Gentil Duarte," was Colombia's most wanted criminal until his death in May 2022.
Latest
Colombia's Peace Process Stumbles as Gaitanista Ceasefire Ends
COLOMBIA
/
24 MAR 2023
The end of a ceasefire with Colombia's largest criminal group, the AGC, is a serious body blow to hopes for peace.
Dominican Republic Corruption Investigation Inches Toward Ex-President
CARIBBEAN
/
23 MAR 2023
High-ranking officials from the former government of President Danilo Medina in the Dominican Republic continue to fall.
‘Mula’: The Bridge Between MS13 and Mexican Mafia in Tijuana, Mexico
CRIMINAL MIGRATION
/
23 MAR 2023
Nelson Alexander Flores Pacheco, alias "Mula", was the liaison between the Mexican Mafia and the MS13 in Tijuana, Mexico.
Investigations
Chapters
#SupportFreePress
Support Our Work
Stay Informed with Weekly InSight
Get fresh updates on organized crime from across the region delivered to your inbox.
SUBSCRIBE