For five years, the town of Buriticá in northern Colombia was consumed by a gold fever that turned the sleepy mountainside village into a stronghold of illegal mining, mafiosos and…
Colombia's flourishing illegal gold mining business requires explosives, many of which are sourced illicitly. This essential yet overlooked trade has opened the door for powerful criminal bosses to forge a…
Peru has lost hundreds of hectares of rainforests to illegal mining in recent months, a reminder of the environmental damage caused by the illegal practice and the government's inability to…
Recent reports suggest illegal gold mining and the associated trafficking of mercury are increasing in Costa Rica, providing evidence that organized crime groups in the country may be diversifying…
The case of a gold importer who raked in billions of dollars from illegal mines allegedly run by South American crime groups shows how the importer, when faced with a…
The ELN has denied responsibility for the killing of five civilians in the Colombian department of Chocó. The latest violence shows the zone's valuable strategic position and highly lucrative criminal economies…
Peru's government is targeting the illegal gold trade by declaring illegal mining an organized crime activity while launching a new formalization program for miners, in a carrot and stick strategy…
Latin America witnessed a criminal boom in illegal mining in 2016, and a rise of complementary illicit activities, as organized crime recognized the potential of illegal gold can rival the…
Panama's forest areas are seeing a growth in illegal mining, raising the question of which criminal organizations are behind these activities.
A high-ranking Peruvian police officer recently linked rising violence in Madre de Dios to the regions illegal gold mining industry, highlighting the various criminal activities fueled by illicit gold revenues…
A prominent Mexican activist turned government official recently called attention to the ties between organized crime and the nation's mining industry, sounding an alarm that has grown increasingly loud in…
The vast majority of gold in Colombia's mines is extracted illegally, according to one expert, underscoring the importance of this illegal economy as the country prepares for a new chapter…
About InSight Crime
Criminal Enterprise on the High Seas
Last week, InSight Crime published the second half of an extensive investigation into Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing that plagues the waters of nine Latin American countries. Among the stories were how…
Oceans Pillaged in Central America and the Caribbean
Last week, InSight Crime published the first installment of a nine-part investigation uncovering the hidden depths of Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in Latin America. The first installment covered Central America and…
Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua Becomes Truly Transnational
This week, InSight Crime published a deep dive into the total control that Venezuelan mega-gang, Tren de Aragua, has over the lives of those it smuggles between Venezuela and Chile…
Turkish Traffickers Delivering Latin American Cocaine to Persian Gulf
Last week, InSight Crime published the second half of an investigation piecing together the emerging role of Turkish cocaine traffickers in supplying Russia and the Persian Gulf, which are among…
Turkey as a Lynchpin in European Cocaine Pipeline
InSight Crime is extending its investigation into the cocaine pipeline to Europe, and tracking the growing connections between Latin American drug traffickers and European criminal organizations. This led us to…
Stay Informed with Weekly InSight
Get fresh updates on organized crime from across the region delivered to your inbox.
SUBSCRIBE