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Criminal Actors
Histories and profiles of organized crime groups, insurgencies, street gangs, vigilantes and the criminal actors that lead them.
Valle, Honduras
COCAINE
/
16 FEB 2021
Valle is an important transit point for cocaine being shipped from South America to Honduras, bound for other Central American…
Ocotepeque, Honduras
COCAINE
/
16 FEB 2021
Corruptible customs officials and porous borders facilitate the smuggling of migrants and drugs from Ocotepeque into Guatemala, along with flows of…
La Paz, Honduras
ELITES AND CRIME
/
16 FEB 2021
The department of La Paz does not house any major transnational criminal economies or established criminal actors.
Santa Bárbara, Honduras
COCAINE
/
16 FEB 2021
Santa Bárbara sees its fair share of narcotics seizures and has played host to major drug trafficking groups such as…
Lempira, Honduras
ELITES AND CRIME
/
16 FEB 2021
Lempira is not a major hub for organized criminal activity but is nonetheless an important transit point for illicit narcotics…
Honduras Profile
HONDURAS
/
FEBRUARY 15, 2021
Honduras, long one of the poorest countries in Latin America, is now also among the most violent and crime-ridden. The…
Escritório do Crime
BRAZIL GROUPS
/
AUGUST 13, 2021
Escritório do Crime is one of the largest and most powerful militia groups in Brazil’s second-largest city, Rio de Janeiro.
Chiquimula, Guatemala
COCAINE
/
22 JAN 2021
Chiquimula is a transit point and hub for drug trafficking. It also has marijuana production and a vibrant contraband and…
Izabal, Guatemala
GEOGRAPHIC PROFILES
/
22 JAN 2021
Izabal is one of the most important transit hubs for cocaine being smuggled from Honduras into Guatemala by land, as…
Zacapa, Guatemala
GEOGRAPHIC PROFILES
/
22 JAN 2021
In the department of Zacapa, long a transit point for cocaine and marijuana bound for Mexico and the US, drug…
Jutiapa, Guatemala
GEOGRAPHIC PROFILES
/
22 JAN 2021
Jutiapa is a transit point for narcotics shipments and a hotspot for illegal firearm possession. Criminal groups smuggle illicit weapons…
Border Security Colectivo
VENEZUELA GROUPS
/
SEPTEMBER 22, 2021
The Border Security Colectivo (Colectivo de Seguridad Fronteriza – CSF) is a state-supported irregular militia group based in the Colombian…
Latest
Desperation in the Desert: The Industrialization of Migrant Smuggling on the US-Mexico Border
FEATURED
/
5 OCT 2022
Along the US-Mexico border, a booming migrant smuggling industry is closely monitored by organized crime groups.
Military Arsenals Provide Convenient Source of Weapons for Latin American Gangs
ARMS TRAFFICKING
/
4 OCT 2022
Corruption, no supervision, and poor legislation have led to Latin American military weapons ending up in criminal hands.
High-Profile Venezuela-US Prisoner Swap Comes at Opportune Moment
ELITES AND CRIME
/
4 OCT 2022
A high-profile prisoner swap raises hopes of improving US-Venezuela relations and abilities to tackle organized crime.
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