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Criminal Actors
Histories and profiles of organized crime groups, insurgencies, street gangs, vigilantes and the criminal actors that lead them.
Norte del Valle Cartel
NORTE DEL VALLE
/
2015-11-17 19:50:59
The Norte del Valle Cartel (NDVC) emerged out of the breakup of the infamous Cali Cartel to became the wealthiest and most powerful Colombian drug trafficking organization…
Gaitanistas - Gulf Clan
COLOMBIA GROUPS
/
NOVEMBER 8, 2022
The AGC emerged from the ashes of Colombia’s paramilitary movement to become a dominant but fragmented criminal force.
Barrio Azteca
BARRIO AZTECA
/
2018-07-09
The Barrio Azteca prison gang has grown into an armed criminal organization controlling drug trafficking in Juárez, Mexico.
Roberto Vargas Gutiérrez, alias 'Gavilán'
COLOMBIA
/
2017-09-01 17:13:50
Roberto Vargas Gutiérrez, alias "Gavilán," transformed himself from Maoist guerrilla to paramilitary fighter to top leader of the Urabeños.
BACRIM in Venezuela
ÁGUILAS NEGRAS
/
FEBRUARY 15, 2023
The BACRIM were a collection of Colombian criminal groups who sought, ultimately unsuccessfully, to set up operations in Venezuela.
ELN in Venezuela
ELN
/
JANUARY 28, 2020
Colombian guerrilla group the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional – ELN) has used Venezuelan territory for decades, but…
Ex-FARC Mafia in Venezuela
EX-FARC MAFIA
/
OCTOBER 13, 2021
Venezuela is a vital base of operations for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and three of its seven blocs…
Walid Makled
VENEZUELA
/
SEPTEMBER 21, 2021
Walid Makled, otherwise known as “El Turco” or “El Arabe," was once the most powerful civilian drug trafficker in Venezuela.
Venezuela Profile
VENEZUELA
/
2017-11-10
Venezuela is a key transit country for drug shipments leaving Colombia for the United States and Europe. Foreign groups, particularly…
Diego Fernando Murillo, alias 'Don Berna'
COLOMBIA
/
17 NOVEMBER, 2016
Don Berna was the leader of Oficina de Envigado, a criminal group in Medellin, which grew after the fall of…
Nicaragua Profile
NICARAGUA
/
2018-06-14
Nicaragua has long been one of the least violent countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Although some local gangs…
Latest
Colombia Expands Investigation of Gender Violence in Its Armed Conflict
AUC
/
29 SEP 2023
Colombia’s transitional justice body has launched an in-depth study of how sexual and gender-based violence was used as a weapon of war.
Nigerian Couriers Central to Brazil-West Africa Cocaine Route
BRAZIL
/
28 SEP 2023
Although they traffic cocaine in smaller amounts, Nigerian groups still manage to move large quantities from Brazil to world markets.
Migrant Smugglers Continue to Benefit From Venezuela Crisis, US Policy
MEXICO
/
27 SEP 2023
International experts are predicting continued high levels of migration from Venezuela, which could prove a boon for organized crime groups that have already capitalized on the ongoing exodus and confusion…
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