All About Contraband

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The Coast of Sucre - Venezuela's Most Dangerous Place for Piracy

CARIBBEAN / 15 OCT 2021

Merchants travelling to Trinidad and Tobago, fishing vessels, even the occasional tourist – all are tempting targets for pirates off Venezuela’s northern state of Sucre.  …

Contraband Chinese Cigarettes Take Latin America by Storm

CHINA AND CRIME / 11 OCT 2021

Contraband Chinese cigarettes are pouring into Latin America, infiltrating old smuggling routes and threatening longstanding criminal empires.

Venezuela's International Appetite for Stolen Luxury Cars

CONTRABAND / 7 OCT 2021

Specialist gangs are smuggling luxury vehicles from Colombia into Venezuela, shining a spotlight on how the country has become a destination for stolen cars from as far away as Miami.

Fowl Play – How Contraband Chicken is Flooding Paraguay

ARGENTINA / 24 SEP 2021

An influx of contraband chicken from Argentina into Paraguay has overwhelmed the local market and is threatening to put local farmers out of business.

Bombs Away - Dynamite Smugglers Sell to Illegal Mines in Peru

CONTRABAND / 27 AUG 2021

Authorities in Peru have dismantled a ring that sold explosives to gangs involved in illegal mining, showing how dangerous products needed to mine gold generate illicit profits.

Closed Borders Help Argentina Make Large-Scale Coca Leaf Seizures

ARGENTINA / 11 AUG 2021

Authorities in Argentina are seizing bumper crops of coca leaves coming over the country's northwest border with Bolivia, causing the price of the leaves - likely intended for chewing as…

Quarter of Pesticides in Brazil Illegally Smuggled from China

BRAZIL / 11 AUG 2021

A number of recent raids have highlighted how illegal pesticide smuggling in Brazil is fueled by Chinese contraband.

Drug Gangs, Thieves Team Up for Violent Cargo Robberies in Rio

BRAZIL / 28 JUL 2021

A cargo-theft ring in Rio de Janeiro partnered with a drug gang to steal millions of dollars’ worth of goods, showing how criminal actors in Brazil come together to commit…

Bolivia Seemingly Powerless to Stop Rampant Vehicle Smuggling

BOLIVIA / 22 JUL 2021

A recent clash between soldiers and smugglers has pointed to how Bolivia’s trade in contraband has reached a flashpoint.

Venezuela's Thriving Black Market for COVID-19 Vaccines

CONTRABAND / 30 JUN 2021

In the absence of an adequate COVID-19 vaccination plan, criminal networks in Venezuela have seized upon ongoing mismanagement to steal and resell doses or sell fake vaccines on the black…

Grapes of Wrath - Why Argentina and Brazil are Awash in Smuggled Wine

ARGENTINA / 27 MAY 2021

While contraband has boomed at the Argentina-Brazil border during the COVID-19 pandemic, wine seems to have been in particularly high demand, with one high-profile murder being linked to its smuggling.

5 Animals Used to Smuggle Drugs in Latin America

ARGENTINA / 7 MAY 2021

The cat-and-mouse game of evading law enforcement was taken literally by drug smugglers recently in Panama, who hid cocaine on a feline and sent it into a prison.

Poultrygeist - How Mexican Chickens Are Smuggled into Guatemala

CONTRABAND / 30 APR 2021

A series of operations carried out by the Guatemalan Attorney General’s Office against networks dedicated to trafficking Mexican poultry, shed light on how poultry smuggling works in the border area.

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InSight Crime Tackles Illegal Fishing

15 OCT 2021

In October, InSight Crime and American University’s Center for Latin American and Latino Studies (CLALS) began a year-long project on illegal, unreported, unregulated (IUU) fishing in…

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InSight Crime Featured in Handbook for Reporting on Organized Crime

8 OCT 2021

In late September, the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) published an excerpt of its forthcoming guide on reporting organized crime in Indonesia.

THE ORGANIZATION

Probing Organized Crime in Haiti

1 OCT 2021

InSight Crime has made it a priority to investigate organized crime in Haiti, where an impotent state is reeling after the July assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, coupled with an…

THE ORGANIZATION

Emergency First Aid in Hostile Environments

24 SEP 2021

At InSight Crime's annual treat, we ramped up hostile environment and emergency first aid training for our 40-member staff, many of whom conduct on-the-ground investigations in dangerous corners of the region.

THE ORGANIZATION

Series on Environmental Crime in the Amazon Generates Headlines

17 SEP 2021

InSight Crime and the Igarapé Institute have been delighted at the response to our joint investigation into environmental crimes in the Colombian Amazon. Coverage of our chapters dedicated to illegal mining…

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