Prosecutors in Costa Rica are investigating a suspected organ trafficking ring at a hospital in the country’s capital -- the second time in recent years they’ve uncovered such a ring.
A Costa Rican crime group earned more than $100,000 providing logistical support to drug traffickers -- evidence that “transportista” services in the Central American nation are as lucrative as ever.
Oil theft cases in Costa have hit record levels in 2019 and increased nearly six fold in the past three years -- evidence that the fuel theft racket has grown dramatically…
A group that used homeless people to smuggle cell phones and drugs into Costa Rican prisons is under investigation, the second time such a ring has been exposed in two…
Authorities have taken down the boss of the Moreco gang -- a uniquely powerful Costa Rica-based drug trafficking group with apparent ties to Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel.
Authorities in Panama and Costa Rica have dismantled an international human smuggling ring, highlighting the success of police cooperation in both countries’ fight against established smuggling networks.
Drug smuggling fishermen in Costa Rica owned large private properties and luxury vehicles -- riches gained from leading “transportista" groups, which are becoming increasingly common in the Central American nation.
A park ranger’s shooting in Costa Rica and the slaying of another in a Colombian reserve show the dangers rangers face in protected areas -- as diverse in flora and…
A new criminal group in Costa Rica, Los Moreco, is causing concern as their tactics, reach and admiration for Mexico's Zetas make them a far more powerful gang than the…
A bumper seizure of ketamine bottles in Costa Rica shows evidence that the Central American Country is seeing growth and diversification of its internal synthetic drug market. …
The variety of extortionists in Central America speaks to the ease with which opportunists can set up their own schemes. Independent actors have taken advantage of the low barriers entry…
Costa Rica’s economic crisis and its strategic position along drug trafficking routes have created the perfect storm for a new type of extortion to take root: loan sharking.
About InSight Crime
Environmental and Academic Praise
InSight Crime’s six-part series on the plunder of the Peruvian Amazon continues to inform the debate on environmental security in the region. Our Environmental Crimes Project Manager, María Fernanda Ramírez,…
Series on Plunder of Peru’s Amazon Makes Headlines
Since launching on June 2, InSight Crime’s six-part series on environmental crime in Peru’s Amazon has been well-received. Detailing the shocking impunity enjoyed by those plundering the rainforest, the investigation…
Duarte’s Death Makes Waves
The announcement of the death of Gentil Duarte, one of the top dissident commanders of the defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), continues to reverberate in Venezuela and Colombia.
Cattle Trafficking Acclaim, Investigation into Peru’s Amazon
On May 18, InSight Crime launched its most recent investigation into cattle trafficking between Central America and Mexico. It showed precisely how beef, illicitly produced in Honduras, Guatemala…
Coverage of Fallen Paraguay Prosecutor Makes Headlines
The murder of leading anti-crime prosecutor, Marcelo Pecci, while on honeymoon in Colombia, has drawn attention to the evolution of organized crime in Paraguay. While 17 people have been arrested…
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