News Analysis

Cyclones, Scorpions and Old School Killers - The War for Tamaulipas

It was so simple once. The Gulf Cartel and its ancestors maintained control of Tamaulipas for eight decades.

Small Aircraft Feed Illegal Mining Operations in Brazil's Amazon

The scale of illegal mining on an Indigenous reserve deep in Brazil’s Amazon has grown so large that fleets of…

How Many Colombian Fighters are Really Inside Venezuela?

Colombia’s top military commander says 40 percent of ELN and ex-FARC fighters operate in Venezuela, a figure that must be…

Argentina's Monos May Thrive with Leader in Jail for Decades

The Monos, Argentina's leading criminal organization, know how to roll with the punches. And while their leader faces a total…

Ecuador: The New Corridor for South American Arms Trafficking

Military intelligence has revealed a flow of arms from Chile and Peru into Ecuador along its southern border, highlighting the…

The Digital Gold Rush - 5 Ways Bitcoin Helps Organized Crime

Cryptocurrencies were created to be the cutting edge of finance, allowing users to hold and exchange money independent of government…

Ecuador’s Prison Slaughterhouse a Warning to Rest of Latin America

Ecuador is reeling from its worst-ever prison massacre in Guayaquil but the factors that led to this situation could well…

Accusations against Mexico’s Former Top Cop Grow in US Courts

Evidence and accusations are piling up against Mexico's former top security official Genaro García Luna, as US prosecutors proffer new…

Memo Fantasma Wants Out of Prison in Colombia

Accused paramilitary drug lord “Memo Fantasma,” or “Will the Ghost,” has petitioned a judge to be let out of a…

Mexico's Geoduck Clams Latest Casualty of Asian Demand

Mexican geoduck clam populations are suffering as legal harvests are threatened by rampant poaching, which has driven the species onto…

Migrant Smuggling Routes, Hideouts in Colombia's Indigenous Lands

The recent dismantling of a migrant smuggling ring in Colombia has revealed the routes, corruption networks and modus operandi used…

Brazil's Santa Catarina Becoming Country's MDMA Hub

Authorities have made Brazil's largest ever-seizure of ecstasy in the southern state of Santa Catarina in the latest example of…