All About Barrio 18

ANALYSIS

Guatemala’s Anti-Extortion Plan: A Legacy of Unkept Promises

BARRIO 18 / 29 JAN 2021

It was one of Alejandro Giammattei’s most emphatic promises. One year later, the Interior Ministry supported his strategy to reduce extortions by cutting off access to communication devices among the…

MS13 Prison Releases Reinforce Potential Pact with El Salvador

BARRIO 18 / 20 JAN 2021

Though he did not have any apparent health problems, a top MS13 leader was transferred from a prison to a hospital in El Salvador -- a move approved by…

Mafia to Terrorists: How US Prosecutors Have Bent the Law to Fight MS13

BARRIO 18 / 18 JAN 2021

The recent decision by the US government to charge MS13’s top leaders in El Salvador with terrorism is either a sign of how little they understand the gang or a…

6 Reasons Why the US Charged MS13 Leaders with Terrorism

BARRIO 18 / 15 JAN 2021

The US government’s terrorism case against the MS13 opens a new frontier in fighting international street gangs.

GameChangers 2020:  How Organized Crime Survived the Pandemic

BARRIO 18 / 21 DEC 2020

Welcome to InSight Crime’s Criminal GameChangers 2020, where we highlight the most important trends in organized crime in the Americas over the course of the year. …

MS13 Infiltrates Local Government in El Salvador Once Again

BARRIO 18 / 18 DEC 2020

A recent police raid in the eastern part of El Salvador, in which a mayor and several municipal and judicial officials were arrested, is the most recent example of an…

El Salvador Seizing Thousands of Guns but Flow of Weapons Continues

ARMS TRAFFICKING / 29 OCT 2020

Salvadoran authorities recently claimed that an anti-gang campaign has led to thousands of weapons being seized. But the numbers and types of weapons seized are unlikely to make a real…

The El Salvador President’s Informal Pact with Gangs

BARRIO 18 / 2 OCT 2020

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has vehemently denied swapping favors with gangs, but a slew of government officials and a person working directly with the government say there is an…

The ‘Protection Racket,’ Gangs and Violence in San Salvador

BARRIO 18 / 1 OCT 2020

For San Salvador resident Humberto Reyes, a sunny morning in the Historic Center’s sprawling markets began with two shots in the back of the head.

From Predators to Partners: How Gangs are Taking San Salvador

BARRIO 18 / 1 OCT 2020

This is the second part of a three-part series on San Salvador’s Historic Center, the heart of the country’s informal urban markets and a long-time bastion of the street gangs.

How El Salvador President Bukele Deals with Gangs

BARRIO 18 / 1 OCT 2020

It was late 2016 and officials in San Salvador were preparing for the grand opening of a sparkling new market in the city’s Historic Center.

3 Dirty Secrets Revealed by the El Salvador Gang ‘Negotiations’

BARRIO 18 / 4 SEP 2020

The El Faro media group reported that the El Salvador government is “negotiating” with street gangs to keep homicide levels low, which may come as a surprise to most except…

Honduras Unable to Curb Rising Violence Inside Prisons

BARRIO 18 / 20 AUG 2020

Targeted killings, massacres, and deadly riots have all occurred in Honduras' maximum-security prisons this year, putting a spotlight on how violence has spiraled out of control despite government efforts to…

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ABOUT US
THE ORGANIZATION

Strategic Communications Manager Job Description

12 FEB 2021

InSight Crime is looking for a full-time strategic communications manager. This person needs to be able to work in a fast-paced world of daily news, high-profile investigations, national and international…

THE ORGANIZATION

We Have Updated Our Website

4 FEB 2021

Welcome to our new home page. We have revamped the site to create a better display and reader experience.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Events – Border Crime: The Northern Triangle and Tri-Border Area

ARGENTINA / 25 JAN 2021

Through several rounds of extensive field investigations, our researchers have analyzed and mapped out the main illicit economies and criminal groups present in 39 border departments spread across the six countries of study – the Northern Triangle trio of Guatemala, Honduras, and El…

BRIEF

InSight Crime’s ‘Memo Fantasma’ Investigation Wins Simón Bolívar National Journalism Prize

COLOMBIA / 20 NOV 2020

The staff at InSight Crime was awarded the prestigious Simón Bolívar national journalism prize in Colombia for its two-year investigation into the drug trafficker known as “Memo Fantasma,” which was…

ANALYSIS

InSight Crime – From Uncovering Organized Crime to Finding What Works

COLOMBIA / 12 NOV 2020

This project began 10 years ago as an effort to address a problem: the lack of daily coverage, investigative stories and analysis of organized crime in the Americas. …