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Criminal Actors
Histories and profiles of organized crime groups, insurgencies, street gangs, vigilantes and the criminal actors that lead them.
Sinaloa Cartel
MEXICO GROUPS /
2021-05-04
The Sinaloa Cartel is often described as the largest and most powerful drug trafficking organization in the Western Hemisphere.
Libertadores del Vichada
COLOMBIA /
23 ABRIL DE 2021
The Libertadores del Vichada are a splinter group of the Popular Revolutionary Anti-Terrorist Army of Colombia.
Colombia Profile
COLOMBIA /
2021-01-21
While Colombia's situation has improved since the FARC demobilized, it faces significant challenges from a more fragmented organized crime landscape.
Carlos Luis Revete, alias 'El Koki'
EL KOKI /
FEBRUARY 8, 2022
Carlos Luis Revette, alias “El Koki,” is one of Venezuela’s most wanted criminals and leader of the “megabanda" that controls…
EPL
COLOMBIA GROUPS /
JULY 15, 2022
The EPL, also called the Pelusos, were once a major criminal threat in Colombia but have faded in recent years…
Santa Ana, El Salvador
GEOGRAPHIC PROFILES /
22 MAR 2021
Santa Ana is a key transit point for criminal groups smuggling cocaine and marijuana between El Salvador and Guatemala. It…
La Unión, El Salvador
GEOGRAPHIC PROFILES /
22 MAR 2021
La Unión’s two ports and its Pacific coastline are routinely used by cocaine smugglers moving drugs north in boats and…
Chalatenango, El Salvador
GEOGRAPHIC PROFILES /
22 MAR 2021
Though not a major hub for transnational organized crime, the department of Chalatenango is a transit point for migrants, arms…
Cabañas, El Salvador
GEOGRAPHIC PROFILES /
22 MAR 2021
Aside from some contraband smuggling between Cabañas and neighboring Honduras, there is no indication that the department is involved in…
San Miguel, El Salvador
GEOGRAPHIC PROFILES /
22 MAR 2021
San Miguel was an important operational center for the once-powerful Perrones drug cartel. It is also a hotbed for gang…
Morazán, El Salvador
GEOGRAPHIC PROFILES /
22 MAR 2021
There is a minor presence of transnational organized crime in Morazán and limited gang activity.
Latest
CJNG Control of Illegal Mining in Michoacán, Mexico, Claiming Indigenous Lives
ILLEGAL MINING /
27 JAN 2023
With cartels like the CJNG muscling in on illegal mining in Michoacán, Mexico, Indigenous community members continue to suffer.
Otoniel Pleads Guilty: Farewell to Colombia's Last Kingpin
COLOMBIA /
26 JAN 2023
Otoniel, the fallen head of the Urabeños crime syndicate, has pleaded guilty in New York. His trial will mark the end of an era.
Ecuador's Navy Grappling With Mounting Evidence of Criminal Collusion
COCAINE /
26 JAN 2023
Corrupt Navy troops in Ecuador can be highly useful for drug traffickers, either to protect cocaine shipments or to simply let them pass.
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