How Grenades Became a Common Part of Venezuela's Criminal Arsenal

In all of Latin America, Venezuela has a unique problem: constant grenade attacks by criminal gangs.

Brutal but Futile: Venezuela's Anti-Gang 'Mega-Operations'

Venezuelan security forces carry out violent invasions of neighborhoods controlled by gangs, but there is little evidence of their success.

After El Koki's Death, Gangs Stir Once Again in Caracas’ Cota 905

Four months after Venezuelan security forces killed gang boss and public enemy No. 1, El Koki, police in his former Caracas stronghold have suffered two separate grenade attacks – in…

Honor Among Thieves - The Venezuela Manhunt for an Altruistic Mob Boss

In December 2021, residents of Tejerías, a small city in the northern state of Aragua, Venezuela, started to notice strange events: wild parties in public plazas organized by a local…

Is This the End for Venezuela’s Megagangs?

Security forces in Venezuela have killed a string of infamous gang bosses, indicating that the gangs are no longer operating with impunity as they have for years, though some have…

Why did Venezuela's Peace Zones Backfire So Badly?

Venezuela’s Peace Zones were arguably some of the strongest evidence showcasing the odd, fluctuating relationship between organized crime and the government.

Songs of Praise: Gangsters Across Latin America Turn to Narco-Corridos

Once the purview of Mexican drug cartels, the production of pro-gang songs that soothe the egos of powerful criminal overlords are swiftly becoming a region-wide phenomenon.

El Koki or Wilexis – Who Runs Caracas’ Most Powerful Drug Gang?

Unsurprisingly, Caracas consumes more drugs than anywhere else in the country. And despite a catastrophic economic crisis, a handful of gangs continue to make strong profits from microtrafficking in the…

Are El Koki and His Gang Members No Longer Safe in Venezuela?

Police in Venezuela have killed a notorious gang leader while others are reportedly hiding in Colombia, raising questions about the state of one of Caracas’ most powerful criminal structures and…

Religious Statuettes Branded as El Koki for Sale in Caracas

Salesmen in Caracas have come up with an enterprising response to the Venezuelan capital’s descent into criminal warfare: selling devotional statuettes dressed like members of El Koki's gang.

Is Venezuela Getting Serious About Unseating El Koki?

Venezuelan forces have fought running gun battles in the streets of Caracas in recent days with members of the capital’s strongest gang, in an apparent attempt to finally unseat its…

El Koki's Victory – An Urban Invasion in Caracas

El Coqui seemed to be comfortable. Caracas’ foremost gang boss had, for several years, dominated the sprawling neighborhood of Cota 905, a densely packed and poor part of western Caracas.