All About ELN

COCA / 10 JUN 2020

A wave of violence has struck Colombia's southwestern Cauca department, in the form of targeted killings and armed groups battling for control of coca crops and trafficking routes -- a…

COLOMBIA / 19 MAY 2020

Amid an unprecedented global health crisis, a national lockdown and uncertainty about the evolution of the country's main criminal actors, the Colombian government is trying to encourage members of…

COLOMBIA / 19 MAY 2020

The Colombian government's latest offer of legal benefits to individuals of armed groups who surrender and face justice was met with skepticism, especially since it came amid the coronavirus lockdown.

COLOMBIA / 18 MAY 2020

The US and Colombia's strategic alliance may seem stronger than ever after Washington blacklisted Cuba for refusing to extradite ELN leaders. But beyond this show of unity, this move's only…

BRAZIL / 31 MAR 2020

A number of criminal groups across Latin America are ordering ceasefires and exerting control over local communities as fears of the coronavirus sweep across the region, raising questions about the…

COLOMBIA / 30 MAR 2020

The Colombian criminal group Los Rastrojos is fighting a two-front war: against ELN guerrillas looking to usurp the group's highly profitable operations along the border with Venezuela, and against Venezuelan…

COLOMBIA / 6 MAR 2020

For three days in mid-February, the ELN made a show of force, staging simultaneous operations across Colombia in a show of force, which also sent a clear message to the…

CONTRABAND / 28 FEB 2020

Cheese has increasingly joined oil and other commodities smuggled along the border between Colombia and Venezuela, and criminal groups are milking the profits.

ARMS TRAFFICKING / 18 FEB 2020

Social leaders across Colombia were murdered at an almost unprecedented rate in 2019, and for a wide range of causes. Criminal gangs seeking to protect their illegal economies, such as…

BOLIVIA / 24 JAN 2020

The year was one of political tumult, fed in no small part by organized crime and its favored weapon: corruption.

BARRIO 18 / 22 JAN 2020

Colombia’s last rebel army is now the most powerful criminal syndicate in Latin America, as it expands across Colombia and far into Venezuela, deepening its involvement in the drug trade.

ECUADOR / 20 JAN 2020

The criminal, economic and political dynamics behind illegal gold rushes this past year in Venezuela and Ecuador were very different. But both countries illustrate the same trend: that illegal mining…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…

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Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…

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InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

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InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

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Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…