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Criminal Actors
Histories and profiles of organized crime groups, insurgencies, street gangs, vigilantes and the criminal actors that lead them.
Ariel Máximo Cantero, alias 'Guille'
ARGENTINA /
OCTOBER 20, 2022
Ariel Máximo Cantero, alias “Guille,” is the leader of Argentina's Monos crime family. While he is facing decades behind bars,…
Pablo Escobar
AUC /
30 AUG 2021
Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was the pioneer in industrial-scale cocaine trafficking.
Jimmy Chérizier, alias 'Barbecue'
CARIBBEAN /
OCTOBER 20, 2022
Former police officer Jimmy Chérizier, alias "Barbecue," is one of Haiti’s most prolific gang leader and head of the G9…
Bala na Cara
BRAZIL /
JULY 27, 2021
Bala na Cara (BNC) is a prominent criminal group in Brazil's southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.
Border Command
COLOMBIA /
JUNE 11, 2022
Los Comandos de la Frontera, or the Border Command, formerly known as La Mafia, is a group made up of…
G9 and Family
CARIBBEAN /
JULY 18, 2022
The G9 is a federation of the strongest gangs in Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince, founded in 2020 by Jimmy Chérizier,…
César Emilio Peralta, alias ‘El Abusador’
CARIBBEAN /
JULY 29, 2022
César Emilio Peralta, alias “El Abusador,” was the Dominican Republic's most notorious drug trafficker, with a network across the Caribbean.
Eliecer Erlinto Chamorro, alias 'Antonio Garcia'
ANTONIO GARCÍA /
JUNE 24, 2021
Eliecer Erlinto Chamorro, alias "Antonio Garcia," is the number two commander in Colombias National Liberation Army…
José Adán Salazar Umaña, alias 'Chepe Diablo'
CHEPE DIABLO /
MAY 26, 2021
José Adán Salazar Umaña, alias "Chepe Diablo," does not fit the normal profile of a criminal leader. As the former…
Cárteles Unidos
MEXICO /
JULY 18, 2022
The Cárteles Unidos was formed by the Cartel de Tepalcatepec, the Viagras, and others, to combat the Jalisco Cartel in…
Shining Path
PERU /
23 MAY 2021
The Shining Path or the Militarized Communist Party (Militarizado Partido Comunista - MPC) is the last remnant of Peru’s guerrilla…
Latest
Record Cocaine Seizures in Colombia as Government Negotiates with Traffickers
COCAINE /
3 FEB 2023
Colombia's negotiations with a range of criminal groups, as part of the Total Peace plan, will be complicated by record cocaine seizures.
Latin America Makes Little Progress Against Corruption
COSTA RICA /
2 FEB 2023
Countries across Latin America continue to make stubbornly little progress in the fight against corruption.
Sticks and Carrots: Lula's Balancing Act in Brazil's Crime-Wracked Amazon
BRAZIL /
1 FEB 2023
Brazil's president Lula is acting quickly to kick out illegal miners and loggers from the Amazon. But the right economic solutions are needed.
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