The Victory of the Urabeños - The New Face of Colombian Organized Crime

COLOMBIA / 2 MAY 2014

The mad scramble for criminal power in the aftermath of the demobilization of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) is over. The Urabeños, or as they prefer to call themselves, the Gaitanistas, have come out on top.

Chapter 1

The Gaitanistas - The Criminal Hybrid

COLOMBIA / 2 MAY 2014

The mad scramble for criminal power in the aftermath of the demobilization of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) is over. The Urabeños, or as they prefer to call…

Chapter 2

The BACRIM and Their Position in Colombia's Underworld

AUC / 2 MAY 2014

The name BACRIM was created by the government of former President Alvaro Uribe in the aftermath of the demobilization of the AUC. Then-President Uribe was keen to draw a line…

Chapter 3

The Evolution of the Gaitanistas

COLOMBIA / 2 MAY 2014

Uraba, which means "promised land" in the indigenous tongue, was the cradle of the paramilitaries, and remains the country's principal BACRIM stronghold. This is where most of the Urabeños command…

Chapter 4

The Last BACRIM Standing: The Gaitanistas Today

CRIMINAL MIGRATION / 2 MAY 2014

Today the Urabeños are the only BACRIM with a national reach. They are also arguably the only real BACRIM still standing. While the government recognizes the existence of three BACRIM…

Chapter 5

The Future of the BACRIM and Post-Conflict Colombia

COLOMBIA / 2 MAY 2014

While the Urabeños are presently established as Colombia's top drug trafficking group, it remains to be seen how the evolution of organized crime in Colombia, and the future of the…

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This week, InSight Crime deputy editor, Juan Diego Posada, was interviewed by the Associated Press about connections between the ex-FARC mafia and Brazilian criminal groups, and…

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