Investigating organized crime is an expensive and often risky enterprise. Reaching primary sources and getting the real story involve extensive fieldwork. Please donate. Every dollar supports our mission.
DONATE NOW
Criminal Actors
Histories and profiles of organized crime groups, insurgencies, street gangs, vigilantes and the criminal actors that lead them.
Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
ARMS TRAFFICKING
/
4 MAR 2021
Mato Grosso do Sul is among Brazil’s most strategic states for transnational crime.
Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
COCAINE
/
4 MAR 2021
Strategically located between Argentina and Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul is a hub for contraband and drug smuggling.
Brazil Profile
BRAZIL
/
SEPTEMBER 8, 2020
Brazil, Latin America’s largest economy, has seen some important security advances in recent years, taking dozens of communities in Rio…
Guatemala Profile
GUATEMALA
/
28 FEB 2021
Guatemala's criminal organizations are among the most sophisticated and dangerous in Central America. Some of them have been in operation…
Alto Paraguay, Paraguay
GEOGRAPHIC PROFILES
/
25 FEB 2021
One of Paraguay’s most sparsely populated but most homicidal departments, Alto Paraguay serves as an important cocaine transit corridor.
Concepción, Paraguay
ARMS TRAFFICKING
/
25 FEB 2021
In Concepción, powerful drug traffickers have penetrated local politics. With corruption rife, some municipalities have started to resemble criminal enclaves.
Itapúa, Paraguay
ARMS TRAFFICKING
/
25 FEB 2021
Itapúa is a minor marijuana producer but an important transit corridor for cannabis smuggled into Argentina. Some areas of the…
Ñeembucú, Paraguay
COCAINE
/
25 FEB 2021
Despite boasting one of Paraguay’s lowest murder rates, Ñeembucú is an important transit point for marijuana heading to Argentina.
Canindeyú, Paraguay
ARMS TRAFFICKING
/
25 FEB 2021
Located on Paraguay’s border with Brazil, Canindeyú is a key criminal hub in the tri-border area.
Boquerón, Paraguay
COCAINE
/
25 FEB 2021
Boquerón is an important part of regional cocaine trafficking routes due to its strategic location on Paraguay's border with Bolivia…
Alto Paraná, Paraguay
ARMS TRAFFICKING
/
25 FEB 2021
Alto Paraná is home to some of Paraguay’s most dynamic criminal economies. Contraband goods continue to flood Brazil and Argentina…
Latest
Increasingly Brazen Gaitanistas Attack Colombia's Biggest Gold Mine
COLOMBIA
/
9 JUN 2023
Colombia's biggest gold mine has come under attack from illegal miners. Experts blame the Gaitanistas, Colombia's foremost crime group.
Cocaine Seizures Spike in Sweden as Traffickers Seek Secondary Routes
COCAINE
/
8 JUN 2023
Historic cocaine seizures in Sweden highlight the Nordic country's increasing role as a gateway for cocaine from Latin America to Europe.
How Grenades Became a Common Part of Venezuela's Criminal Arsenal
ARMS TRAFFICKING
/
7 JUN 2023
In all of Latin America, Venezuela has a unique problem: constant grenade attacks by criminal gangs.
Investigations
Chapters
#SupportFreePress
Support Our Work
Stay Informed with Weekly InSight
Get fresh updates on organized crime from across the region delivered to your inbox.
SUBSCRIBE