PCC gang members in Brazil monitored police on social media and invaded their homes disguised in worker's uniforms in a brazen, hit-squad like attempt on their lives.
Despite being jailed in a federal prison in Brazil, an alleged PCC gang leader continues to govern the Brazil-Paraguay border, suggesting that the government is showing no clear signs of…
A recent prison crackdown in Brazil has sparked a violent response from the country’s most powerful organized crime group, but the government's measures lack long-term focus and are unlikely to…
Which criminal structures have gained the most strength in Latin America in 2018? Three groups, all based in different nations, have engaged in aggressive expansion, both territorial and economic, and…
The northern state of Ceará in Brazil has become a battlefield after government plans to clamp down on gang-controlled prisons were met with an unlikely alliance of criminal groups, showing…
Welcome to InSight Crime’s Criminal GameChangers 2018, where we highlight the most important trends in organized crime in the Americas over the course of the year. From a rise in…
The arrest of an alleged Brazilian crime boss in Paraguay’s capital city illustrates how police corruption and sophisticated tactics may be facilitating the expansion of Brazil’s most powerful crime group…
The presence of a new Brazilian crime boss operating on the border with Paraguay illustrates the sophisticated expansion strategy of Brazil’s most powerful gang and the important role the border…
Marcos Willians Herbas Camacho, alias "Marcola," has been the top leader of the First Capital Command (Primeiro Comando da Capital - PCC) since 2002.
Authorities in Brazil have seized documents shedding new light on the expanding finances, membership and international reach of the country's biggest crime group. But whether that information can be used…
Two of Brazil’s most important criminal groups have ended a three-year truce and are now fighting for control over a strategic drug trafficking route in the northern Amazon region. The…
A criminal group has been reported smuggling weapons of war out of Venezuela to expand their illegal activities, taking advantage of the country's economic crisis, lack of oversight on the…
About InSight Crime
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…
Memo Fantasma Coverage Gets Worldwide Attention
Guillermo Acevedo, the former Colombian drug lord and paramilitary commander better known as Memo Fantasma, may soon be allowed to leave prison. Since first revealing the identity of Memo Fantasma…
Who Are Memo Fantasma and Sergio Roberto de Carvalho?
Inside the criminal career of Memo Fantasma In March 2020, InSight Crime revealed the identity and whereabouts of Memo Fantasma, a paramilitary commander and drug trafficker living in…
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