How Yachts Contribute to Trans-Atlantic Cocaine Trade

Private vessels have become a favored modus operandi to move cocaine between Latin America and lucrative European markets.  …

The Intimate Relationship Between Cocaine and Illegal Timber in Brazil's Amazon

For some time now, research has highlighted the significant volume of illegal logging in the Brazilian timber market and its relationship to deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.

Enduring Italians, Ambitious Albanians – How Cocaine is Changing Europe’s Criminal Landscape

Ever greater quantities of cocaine are making their way across the Atlantic and are being sold at ever greater prices across Europe.

South Africa Raises Profile as Cocaine Trafficking Hub

South Africa has made a rapid succession of large cocaine seizures in recent months, illuminating how the country and region now play a significant role as transit points for Latin…

Balkan Gangs Supervise Cocaine Trade from Colombia and Across Europe

A cell within a notorious Montenegrin cocaine trafficking group has been dismantled on Spain’s Canary Islands, demonstrating how Balkan drug smugglers may be utilizing their Latin American connections to re-position…

How Dominican Gangs Became Major Security Threat in Spain

Spiraling violence around Madrid is being blamed on the fracturing and spread of Dominican gangs, which have become Spain's primary urban security threat.

How Many Creepy-Crawlies Can a Trafficker Hide in His Luggage?

There is one crucial quality for any successful wildlife trafficker: tenacity. And Kirill Kravchenko had it in spades.

Love Honey - The Odd Sexual Stimulant Sweeping Brazil's Party Scene

Brazil has seen its fair share of new synthetic drugs, but the latest hit, known as “love honey,” may be the strangest in a while. And despite being a cultural…

Hashish: New Player in Brazil Drug Markets

In stopping a European sailboat, Brazilian authorities have made a record seizure of marijuana resin, also known as hashish, revealing both a new trans-Atlantic drug route and the ongoing diversification…

Mozambique Becoming Southern Africa's Cocaine Platform

Ongoing seizures of cocaine trafficked from Brazil to Mozambique continue to highlight the robust drug route between the two former Portuguese colonies, as well as a lesser-known transit region for…

Colombia Drug Trafficking Money Laundered Through Modified Gold

A criminal group in Colombia is turning dirty money into adulterated gold, in the latest addition to a long list of laundering schemes using the precious metal.

Cocaine, Crack, Meth, MDMA - Europe Drugs Report Paints Grim Picture

A recent report on drug trafficking and consumption in Europe highlights the acceleration of existing trends and the emergence of new ones, both of which impact Latin America’s criminal landscape.