In Central America’s Northern Triangle, organized crime has permeated national politics by corrupting local governments. This series presents the stories of three mayors in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, exploring the links between power, drug trafficking rings, gangs and corruption.
Electing Criminals: Municipal Power and Organized Crime in the Northern Triangle
EL SALVADOR
/
2 NOV 2017
Chapter 1
Guatemala Mayor ‘Tres Kiebres’: The Art of Being ‘3 Times Broken’
ELITES AND CRIME
/
11 OCT 2017
The atmosphere was light, almost jovial, as Ipala's Mayor Esduin Javier turned to the next item on the agenda. The issue was what the people at the municipality's monthly town…
Chapter 2
A Honduras Political Clan and Its Criminal Fiefdom
ELITES AND CRIME
/
19 OCT 2017
It was around midnight that police in a rural area of the northern department of Olancho first heard the distinctive buzz of a low-flying aircraft. Night duty officers in three…
Chapter 3
Symbiosis: Gangs and Municipal Power in Apopa, El Salvador
BARRIO 18
/
2 NOV 2017
Stories such as that of the former mayor of the El Salvador municipality of Apopa, José Elías Hernández, or "Old Timer" as the gangs knew him, are increasingly…
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CACHIROS
/
23 MAR 2021
Usually loath to name sitting presidents in criminal cases, prosecutors in the United States have made an exception for Honduran…
ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME
/
20 MAR 2014
A documentary by indigenous communities in Panama has cast light on the catastrophic effect of illegal logging and ranching on…
GUATEMALA
/
30 JUN 2016
Authorities across Central America have dismantled a migrant smuggling network that spanned from Brazil to Mexico, a remarkable sting operation…
About InSight Crime
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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.
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