Quito police have identified dozens of micro-trafficking hotspots within the Ecuadorean capital, as well as the groups running them, offering further evidence of the rise of domestic consumption amid the…
Deforestation in Ecuador is occurring at a rate of nearly 66,000 hectares a year, according to official figures, in part due to the depredations of illegal loggers, as well as…
A lack of oversight in Ecuador's ports on the part of both private companies and the government has left maritime routes open for drug traffickers, contributing to the country's growth…
Robberies are the leading cause of homicide in Ecuador capital Quito, according to a new report, raising questions as to why high street crime so frequently escalates into murder.
Authorities in Ecuador have seized two tons of cocaine near the border with Peru, suggesting the country's growing role as a drug transit point for traffickers moving Peruvian as well…
Police in Ecuador have highlighted the role of local drug trafficking clans -- often based on family ties -- within the country's growing drug trade, a sign that Ecuador's increasing…
Ecuador has arrested an alleged Italian mafia member who held a legitimate work visa in the country but was wanted on criminal charges in Italy, highlighting how the country's lax…
Ecuador has dispatched a military patrol to combat drug trafficking in the western coastal province of Manabi, a strategy likely linked both to the province's strategic importance to drug trafficking…
Colombia's principal criminal organization, the Urabeños, have marked their arrival in Ecuador with a series of killings, kidnappings and extortion of rivals as they look to establish a firm foothold…
More than 400 Ecuadorean police officers have been detained for suspected criminal activity, as attempts to reform chronically corrupt law enforcement continue across the region, with very mixed results.
In August, authorities in Ecuador eradicated the largest poppy crop of the year, representing nearly a third of the total number of plants found in 2012 and bolstering the notion…
A top official from Ecuador has publically acknowledged the presence of transnational criminal groups from Colombia and Mexico, but insisted the country is only used to transit drugs, despite evidence…
About InSight Crime
InSight Crime Contributes Expertise Across the Board
This week InSight Crime investigators Sara García and María Fernanda Ramírez led a discussion of the challenges posed by Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s “Total Peace” plan within urban contexts. The…
InSight Crime Cited in New Colombia Drug Policy Plan
InSight Crime’s work on emerging coca cultivation in Honduras, Guatemala, and Venezuela was cited in the Colombian government’s…
InSight Crime Discusses Honduran Women's Prison Investigation
Investigators Victoria Dittmar and María Fernanda Ramírez discussed InSight Crime’s recent investigation of a massacre in Honduras’ only women’s prison in a Twitter Spaces event on…
Human Trafficking Investigation Published in Leading Mexican Newspaper
Leading Mexican media outlet El Universal featured our most recent investigation, “The Geography of Human Trafficking on the US-Mexico Border,” on the front page of its August 30…
InSight Crime's Coverage of Ecuador Leads International Debate
This week, Jeremy McDermott, co-director of InSight Crime, was interviewed by La Sexta, a Spanish television channel, about the situation of extreme violence and insecurity in Ecuador…
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