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Criminal Actors
Histories and profiles of organized crime groups, insurgencies, street gangs, vigilantes and the criminal actors that lead them.
EPL
COLOMBIA GROUPS
/
2021-01-21
The dissidence of the EPL, which the Security Forces call Los Peludos, is the dissidence of the guerrilla group Popular…
Santa Ana, El Salvador
GEOGRAPHIC PROFILES
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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22 MAR 2021
There is a minor presence of transnational organized crime in Morazán and limited gang activity.
Ahuachapán, El Salvador
GEOGRAPHIC PROFILES
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22 MAR 2021
Ahuachapán is a transit point for cocaine and marijuana shipments. There is also a strong MS13 presence in the department.
Salta, Argentina
GEOGRAPHIC PROFILES
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15 MAR 2021
Salta is the main gateway for cocaine entering Argentina. Drugs enter via Salvador Mazza and Aguas Blancas, parts of which…
Corrientes, Argentina
GEOGRAPHIC PROFILES
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15 MAR 2021
Corrientes is a key hub of Argentina’s highly profitable marijuana trade. The province appears to be the second most important…
Formosa, Argentina
GEOGRAPHIC PROFILES
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15 MAR 2021
Located on the border with Paraguay’s capital Asunción, the Formosa province is a hub for transnational marijuana trafficking and contraband.
Misiones, Argentina
GEOGRAPHIC PROFILES
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15 MAR 2021
Misiones is the main entry point for marijuana smuggled from Paraguay into Argentina across the Paraná River and one of…
Latest
Ecuador's Police Being Assassinated in Record Numbers
ECUADOR
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16 MAY 2022
Ecuadorian gangs are taking another page from the playbook of crime groups in Mexico and Colombia, stepping up targeted killings of police officers in drug trafficking hotspots.
Will Soaring Arrests in El Salvador Overwhelm its Prisons?
BARRIO 18
/
16 MAY 2022
As part of his sweeping gang crackdown, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has overseen the mass imprisonment of tens of thousands of people, potentially jeopardizing recent efforts to mitigate overcrowding…
Indigenous Communities in Rural Mexico Get No Help Against Constant Criminal Threats
HUMAN RIGHTS
/
13 MAY 2022
The death of two indigenous leaders in Guerrero, Mexico, has again drawn attention to the government’s negligent protection of indigenous communities targeted by criminal groups throughout Mexico. In a…
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