Criminal Actors

Histories and profiles of organized crime groups, insurgencies, street gangs, vigilantes and the criminal actors that lead them.

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Beltrán Leyva Organization

BELTRAN LEYVA ORG / OCTOBER 6, 2021

The Beltrán Leyva Organization was run by the Beltrán Leyva brothers, who are now either dead or serving prison time.

Mario Ramirez Treviño, alias 'X20'

GULF CARTEL / 2016-11-17

Mario Ramirez Treviño, alias X20, was a former police officer and headed the Gulf Cartel in northeastern Mexico.

Alejandro 'Omar' Treviño Morales, alias 'Z42'

MEXICO / JULY 17, 2021

Alejandro "Omar" Treviño Morales, alias "Z42," was one of the leader of Mexican cartel, the Zetas, and was captured 2015.

Peru Profile

PERU / 2023-03-20

Peru is one of the world's major coca-cultivating nations. The presence of international criminal groups appears to be expanding there.

Moris Alexander Bercián Manchón, alias 'El Barney'

EL SALVADOR / MARCH 9, 2020

Moris Alexander Bercián Manchón, alias "El Barney," is one of six MS13 members in El Salvador sanctioned by the United…

EPR

EPR / 2017-03-07

The Popular Revolutionary Army is a Marxist-Leninist guerrilla that emerged in group based in southern Mexico in 1996.

Knights Templar

KNIGHTS TEMPLAR / MAY 5, 2020

Like the Familia Michoácana, the Knights Templar uses religious imagery to project themselves as more than a drug cartel.

Juárez Cartel

JUAREZ CARTEL / JULY 10, 2020

The Juárez Cartel’s rivalry the Sinaloa Cartel helped turn Juarez into one of the most violent cities on Earth.

FARC

COLOMBIA / JULY 15, 2022

The FARC were the largest guerrilla group in Latin America until they agreed to disarm in 2016 after a lengthy…

First Capital Command - PCC

BRAZIL / MARCH 9, 2020

The First Capital Command (Primeiro Comando da Capital – PCC) was inspired by the Red Command (Comando Vermelho). Both criminal…

Red Command

BRAZIL GROUPS / JULY 17, 2022

The Red Command (CV) is one of Brazil's main criminal forces, dominating drug trafficking in much of the country and…

Antônio Francisco Bonfim Lopes, alias 'Nem'

AMIGOS DOS AMIGOS / JULY 18, 2022

Antônio Francisco Bonfim Lopes, alias “Nem,” led the Amigos dos Amigos gang in Rocinha, one of the largest favelas in…

Latest

Paraguayan Prosecutors Indict Senator Linked to Transatlantic Cocaine Trade

COCAINE EUROPE / 29 MAY 2023

The impeachment of Paraguayan Congressman Erico Galeano for connections to drug trafficking shows progress against impunity in the country.

Guatemala Elites Flex Muscle, Excluding Leading Presidential Contender

ELITES AND CRIME / 26 MAY 2023

Carlos Pineda, the leading candidate in Guatemala's presidential elections, has been removed from the race on a technicality.

Brazil's PCC Complicates Fight Against Illegal Mining in Amazon

BRAZIL / 26 MAY 2023

The PCC appears to be providing support to illegal miners in the Yanomami territory in Brazil's northern state of Roraima.

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A country-by-country breakdown of the news as well as key criminal groups and players across Latin America and the Caribbean.

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