All About Extortion

NEWS

No Chicken, No Tortillas – How Mexican Cities Are Deprived of Staple Foods

EXTORTION / 17 JUN 2022

Buying fresh chicken in the Mexican city of Chilpancingo proved almost impossible this week. Almost all the chicken vendors had closed after a number of their peers were threatened and…

How Extortion Became Fixed Business Cost for Restaurants in Quintana Roo

EXTORTION / 30 MAR 2022

For restauranteurs in Mexico's coastal state of Quintana Roo, daily extortion fees are unavoidable. Competing cartels lean on the industry as a bedrock for exploitative financing.

Dominican Republic Cybercrime Ring Shows Extent of Caribbean's Financial Fraud Crisis

CARIBBEAN / 9 MAR 2022

The Dominican Republic has dismantled a transnational cybercrime network believed to have defrauded hundreds of US citizens to the tune of more than $200 million, in just the latest example…

Booming Mexico Resort Town of Puerto Vallarta is Hostage to CJNG

EXTORTION / 22 FEB 2022

Recent US sanctions against an alleged Jalisco Cartel operative have revealed that the powerful Mexican group is using the resort town of Puerto Vallarta to process drug cash through nightclubs,…

Lime Crisis in Mexico as Cartels Target Farmers

EXTORTION / 28 JAN 2022

Cartels are known for shakedowns of avocado growers, but lime farmers have been unnoticed victims of similar extortion schemes in Mexico, causing prices to skyrocket.

Mexico Criminals Target Kindergarten After Huge Lottery Earnings

DISPLACEMENT / 24 NOV 2021

Winning a lottery prize of close to $1 million should have been a positive, life-changing event for a kindergarten and its community in Chiapas, Mexico. It was anything but.

Extortionists Copycat Argentina's Monos Gang

ARGENTINA / 23 NOV 2021

A criminal borrowed the surname of the imprisoned Monos gang boss to receive extortion payments from businesses in the Argentine city of Rosario – a play that smacks of a…

Phone Extortion in Mexico Continuing to Rise Despite Low Success Rate

EXTORTION / 13 OCT 2021

A new report claims the success rate of phone extortion is dropping in Mexico, but the fluid nature of this crime makes it difficult to prove.

In the Riviera Maya, Cartel Extortion Schemes Know No Limits

EXTORTION / 7 OCT 2021

Despite the pandemic’s economic fallout being felt throughout the Riviera Maya, cartels have continued their extortion schemes in Mexico's popular tourist destination, where their operations have grown to target everyone…

The Digital Gold Rush - 5 Ways Bitcoin Helps Organized Crime

CYBERCRIME / 1 OCT 2021

Cryptocurrencies were created to be the cutting edge of finance, allowing users to hold and exchange money independent of government oversight. Now, innovative organized crime outfits throughout Latin America are…

Venezuela's Smaller Gangs Carve Out Local Criminal Fiefdoms

ELITES AND CRIME / 7 SEP 2021

The visual is an arresting one. A Venezuelan army sergeant, his face swollen and his nose bleeding from a beating, is forced to speak on camera and tell his superiors…

Express Kidnappings in Brazil's São Paulo Accelerate with Instant Pay App

BRAZIL / 1 SEP 2021

The increasing use of an instant money transfer app is driving express kidnappings in the Brazilian city of São Paulo – a crime that now requires no more than a…

Fishermen Fight Off Pirate Attacks in Ecuador

ECUADOR / 1 JUL 2021

Fishermen in Ecuador have taken matters into their own hands to combat pirate attacks that have long plagued its coastal provinces.

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About InSight Crime

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THE ORGANIZATION

Environmental and Academic Praise

17 JUN 2022

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,…

LA ORGANIZACIÓN

Series on Plunder of Peru’s Amazon Makes Headlines

10 JUN 2022

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…

THE ORGANIZATION

Duarte’s Death Makes Waves

3 JUN 2022

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.

THE ORGANIZATION

Cattle Trafficking Acclaim, Investigation into Peru’s Amazon 

27 MAY 2022

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…

THE ORGANIZATION

Coverage of Fallen Paraguay Prosecutor Makes Headlines

20 MAY 2022

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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