Criminal Actors

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

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Antonio Cardenas Guillen, alias 'Tony Tormenta'

GULF CARTEL / 2016-11-17

Antonio Cardenas Guillen, alias "Tony Tormenta," ran finance and logistics for the Gulf Cartel, before his death in 2010.

Alejandro Flores Cacho

ALEJANDRO FLORES CACHO / 2016-11-17

Little is know about Alejandro Flores Cacho, a pilot who runs air operations for the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico.

Heriberto Lazcano, alias 'Z3'

MEXICO PERSONALITIES / 2016-10-20

Heriberto Lazcano, alias "Z3," was a Mexican special forces commander before headed the Zetas’ drug trafficking operations.

Daniel Barrera Barrera, alias 'El Loco'

COLOMBIA PERSONALITIES / MAY 5, 2020

Daniel Barrera Barrera, alias "El Loco," was the closest thing Colombia has to a modern Pablo Escobar. Until his…

Miguel Angel Treviño, alias 'Z40'

MEXICO PERSONALITIES / JULY 17, 2021

Miguel Angel Treviño, alias "Z40," led the feared Zetas in Mexico before his capture in 2013.

ELN

COLOMBIA / OCTOBER 19, 2022

The ELN is the last real guerrilla force in Latin America and has transitioned into a real transnational threat in…

Diego Perez Henao, alias 'Diego Rastrojo'

COLOMBIA PERSONALITIES / 2016-11-07 22:02:10

Diego Perez Henao, alias "Diego Rastrojo," was the military head of the Rastrojos, a criminal group whose reach stretches across Colombia…

Luis E. Calle Serna

COLOMBIA PERSONALITIES / 2017-02-16 22:07:27

Luis Enrique Calle Serna was a leader in the feared and ambitious Rastrojos criminal organization in Colombia. He surrendered to US…

Mexico Profile

MEXICO / 2021-05-05

Mexico is home to some of the hemisphere's largest, most sophisticated and violent organized criminal groups.

Javier Antonio Calle Serna, alias 'Comba'

COLOMBIA PERSONALITIES / 2017-03-10 03:35:08

Javier Antonio Calle Serna, alias “Comba,” was the top leader of the Rastrojos, a group of former paramilitary…

Paisas

COLOMBIA GROUPS / 2017-03-10 03:31:38

The Paisas first emerged as a rural militia that grew out of the demobilized AUC paramilitary army, with…

Guillermo Leon Saenz Vargas, alias 'Alfonso Cano'

ALFONSO CANO / 2017-03-10 03:22:31

Guillermo Leon Saenz Vargas, alias Alfonso Cano, was the supreme commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the hemisphere's oldest…

Latest

Honduras Makes Few Advances Against Crime During 6-Month State of Exception

BARRIO 18 / 5 JUN 2023

After six months, the state of exception in Honduras has failed to significantly reduce gang violence and extortion.

Chiapas Bleeds as CJNG, Sinaloa Cartel Fight for Guatemala Trafficking Routes

DISPLACEMENT / 2 JUN 2023

Clashes between the Sinaloa Cartel and the CJNG in Chiapas, close to the Mexico-Guatemala border have displacee of thousands.

DataInSights: The Rise and Fall of Ransom Kidnappings in Argentina

ARGENTINA / 1 JUN 2023

Ransom kidnapping became a lucrative criminal economy in Argentina. But since 2015, they've nosedived. Why?…

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