Amidst Peru’s coronavirus crisis, hospital workers are demanding bribes from relatives to confirm deceased victims’ identities and arrange illegal funerals, revealing how the pandemic has created new opportunities for criminal…
Rio de Janeiro’s Governor Wilson Witzel has been suspended for allegedly running a corruption scheme that not only may have defrauded the state at the height of its coronavirus response…
The systematic recruiting of minors continues to be a favorite strategy for non-state armed actors in Colombia to bolster their numbers, with the country’s Registry of Victims (Registro Único de…
On August 9, the website on which the El Salvador government publishes all of the country's contract expenditures suddenly went dark. The shutdown came amid allegations of corruption by the administration…
Authorities in Mexico have recently seized large quantities of fentanyl and precursor chemicals used to make the synthetic drug at the international airport in the capital, raising questions as to…
The recent seizure of $16 million worth of methamphetamines by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has highlighted rising meth seizure and overdose trends in the United States — a…
A series of trucks smuggling large amounts of cash of unknown origin have been intercepted along Argentina's northern border, leading to suspicions that coronavirus-related restrictions on the movement of goods…
The Cuban government has sent squads of military and police to end a spike in the selling of goods on the black market amid the pandemic, but the response seems…
According to a recent assessment, drug trafficking in Chile has become increasingly prominent, diversified, and violent over the past year — mirroring public opinion polling that suggests Chileans are increasingly more…
Food trucked into Venezuela from Brazil under a law allowing it to be transported for humanitarian needs is being diverted to Venezuela's black market.
Authorities in Argentina have implicated local police and prosecutors in an illegal gambling and extortion ring linked to the infamous Los Monos crime group, underscoring how the coronavirus pandemic has…
Reports that the head of the Jalisco Cartel New Generation constructed a hospital, both for himself and local residents, is an actual concrete example of Mexico's criminal groups investing in…
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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