Since the end of El Salvador’s civil war, the country’s police has become a key player in the underworld. This series of five articles explore the dark ties between criminal organizations and the government’s key crime-fighting arm.
Corruption in El Salvador: Politicians, Police and Transportistas
EL SALVADOR
/
6 MAR 2014
Chapter 1
The Infiltrators: Corruption in El Salvador's Police
CHEPE LUNA
/
21 FEB 2014
Ricardo Mauricio Menesses Orellana liked horses, and the Pasaquina rodeo was a great opportunity to enjoy a party. He was joined at the event -- which was taking place in the…
Chapter 2
'Chepe Luna,' the Police and the Art of Escape
CHEPE LUNA
/
21 FEB 2014
The United States -- which through its antinarcotics, judicial and police attaches was very familiar with the routes used for smuggling, and especially those used for people trafficking and understood…
Chapter 3
Operation Chameleon in El Salvador: Anatomy of a Failure
EL SALVADOR
/
5 MAR 2014
The experience with Jose Natividad "Chepe" Luna -- the drug trafficker who had eluded a giant dragnet in 2004 -- had demonstrated that the leaks from the National Police of…
Chapter 4
How an El Salvador Drug Trafficker Smuggled Cocaine Into the US
EL SALVADOR
/
6 MAR 2014
The woman phoned the office of the antinarcotics division (DAN) in Bolivar, in El Salvador's La Union province, on August 13, 2008, at 1:30 PM. Investigators later established that what…
Chapter 5
The Fixer and El Salvador's Missed Opportunity
EL SALVADOR
/
6 MAR 2014
In the photograph, they are both smiling. In the foreground, on the left hand side, a man in a short-sleeved buttoned white shirt, jeans and a metal watch, holds a…
Related Content
EL SALVADOR
/
15 SEP 2013
El Salvador's government has approved the creation of a police unit to combat financial crimes, a welcome move in one…
EL SALVADOR
/
18 APR 2013
Most of the 5,300 children and adolescents murdered in El Salvador between 2005 and 2011 were out of school and…
BARRIO 18
/
24 JUN 2016
A new report says an increasing number of Central Americans are fleeing south to escape gang violence and seeking asylum…
About InSight Crime
THE ORGANIZATION
Unraveling the Web of Elites Connected to Organized Crime
27 JUL 2021
InSight Crime published Elites and Organized Crime in Nicaragua, a deep dive into the relationships between criminal actors and elites in that Central American nation.
THE ORGANIZATION
InSight Crime’s Greater Focus on US-Mexico Border
20 JUL 2021
InSight Crime has decided to turn many of its investigative resources towards understanding and chronicling the criminal dynamics along the US-Mexico border.
THE ORGANIZATION
Key Arrests and Police Budget Increases Due to InSight Crime Investigations
8 JUL 2021
With Memo Fantasma’s arrest, InSight Crime has proven that our investigations can and will uncover major criminal threats in the Americas.
THE ORGANIZATION
Organized Crime’s Influence on Gender-Based Violence
30 JUN 2021
InSight Crime investigator Laura N. Ávila spoke on organized crime and gender-based violence at the launch of a research project by the United Nations Development Programme.
THE ORGANIZATION
Conversation with Paraguay Judicial Operators on PCC
24 JUN 2021
InSight Crime Co-director Steven Dudley formed part of a panel attended by over 500 students, all of whom work in Paraguay's judicial system.
#SupportFreePress
Support Our Work
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
Stay Informed with Weekly InSight
Get fresh updates on organized crime from across the region delivered to your inbox.
SUBSCRIBE