The Knights Templar (Cabelleros Templarios) emerged in March 2011 as a splinter group of the once-mighty Familia Michoacana. Like their predecessors, the Knights Templar cast themselves as a "self-defense" movement engaged in a struggle with Mexico's larger criminal cartels on behalf of the Michaocan population, and frequently employ religious imagery in their public communiques. The arrest or killing of several top leaders in 2014…
READ FULL PROFILE
Mexico's process of criminal fragmentation has been a slow burn. Many of the country's mightiest criminal groups have been unable…
Following the arrest of a former Mexican mayor in Guatemala, US prosecutors unveiled an indictment against him and criminal rivals…
Six months after a sophisticated robbery where gunmen hijacked gold and silver bars being loaded onto a plane in Mexico,…
It’s 7 pm on a Sunday, and night is falling in this Michoacán town. The heat of the day is…
Authorities in Mexico have arrested one of the last main leaders of the Knights Templar crime group, likely leaving…
A new collection of essays tackles patterns of cultish behavior and ritualized violence among illegal groups across the globe, from…
COUNTRY PROFILE
CRIMINAL ACTORS
INVESTIGATIONS
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.
InSight Crime has decided to turn many of its investigative resources towards understanding and chronicling the criminal dynamics along the US-Mexico border.
With Memo Fantasma’s arrest, InSight Crime has proven that our investigations can and will uncover major criminal threats in the Americas.
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.
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
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
Get fresh updates on organized crime from across the region delivered to your inbox.
SUBSCRIBE