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How MS13 Gang Members in El Salvador Control Their Partners from Prisons
Gang members' romantic partners are often also their victims, subordinate to the whims of their companions. MS13 members have been able to exploit these connections to dominate the lives of…

The Beast Behind the Red Light: MS13 and Prostitution
The notorious MS13 street gang boasts a diverse criminal portfolio – including prostitution. Through violence, abuse and intimidation, the gang has steadily gained control of this illicit economy on the…

The Truth Comes Out
At the start of 2010, the former Colombian paramilitary leader Hernán Giraldo Serna was completing his sentence for drug trafficking in a US prison.

A Desperate Effort to Rebuild Lives
After running for hours, Carolina, 21, arrived in the city of Santa Marta with her family in 2000. Their feet were full of blisters and they had nothing but the…

A Criminal Empire that Abused Girls and Women
It was 7:00 at night. Carolina was lying in bed and turned on the TV just as a news reporter announced: “One of the most bloodthirsty paramilitary leaders of the…

Argentina Spares Mother Who Served as Drug Mule to Save Son
Drug charges against a woman in Argentina were dropped after prosecutors learned that she had agreed to be a drug mule to pay for her son's surgery, in a case…
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