All About Environmental Crime

INVESTIGATIONS

Donkey Skin Trafficking on Colombia’s Northern Coast

CHINA AND CRIME / 14 MAY 2021

When hundreds of skinned donkeys appeared on Colombia’s northern coast without explanation, locals -- and later authorities -- started asking questions. The answer, as it was many of these wildlife…

The Illegal Sea Cucumber Trade in Kaukira, Honduras

ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME / 14 MAY 2021

Both banks of the salty canal near the town of Kaukira show e vestiges of the boom-bust nature of life in this area. A pair of abandoned, two-story buildings lie…

Peru’s Turtle Traffickers Operate Under Veneer of Legality

CHINA AND CRIME / 14 MAY 2021

The taricaya turtle conservation program in northern Peru has been heralded as bringing an endangered species back from the brink of extinction while protecting millions of hectares of rainforest from…

Dirty Business – The Smuggling Pipeline Carrying Mercury Across the Amazon

BOLIVIA / 13 MAY 2021

Smuggling networks are feeding illegal mining operations across the Amazon Basin with mercury, despite global efforts to clamp down on the use of the substance.

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.

Why South America’s Armies Are Losing the War for the Amazon

BRAZIL / 4 MAY 2021

Brazil, Colombia and Peru have deployed their armies to fight deforestation and other crimes in the Amazon rainforest.

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.

Brazil’s Cheaper Exotic Fish Still Targeted by Traffickers

BRAZIL / 29 APR 2021

US and Brazilian authorities have identified an international network dedicated to the smuggling of prized species of killifish, illuminating Brazil’s role in the global trade.

Land Trafficking Fuels Constant Corruption in Bolivia

BOLIVIA / 23 APR 2021

The arrest of an acting government minister in Bolivia has reinforced how land trafficking in the nation is fueled by a strong undercurrent of corruption, time and time again.

Digging Into Dirty Gold Across the Americas

COLOMBIA / 7 APR 2021

Illegal gold mining is devastating South America's jungles. The trade has been destroying large swaths of forest and flooding rivers with toxic mercury at an alarming rate.

A Large Galápagos Tortoise Seizure Raises Red Flags

ECUADOR / 5 APR 2021

Authorities in Ecuador have seized close to 200 baby tortoises native to the Galápagos Islands that are coveted in the exotic reptile trade.

Police in Brazil Net Mass Seizure of Ornamental Fish

BRAZIL / 29 MAR 2021

Authorities in Brazil have seized thousands of live freshwater fish native to the country’s Amazon region that are commonly seen in the aquarium trade.

Land Grabbing: Tracing and Targeting the ‘Invisible’ Threat Destroying Colombia’s Forests

COCA / 25 MAR 2021

The sheer size of Colombia's reserves makes them a target for the illegal clearing, appropriation and sale of protected land.

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InSight Crime Events – Border Crime: The Northern Triangle and Tri-Border Area

ARGENTINA / 25 JAN 2021

Through several rounds of extensive field investigations, our researchers have analyzed and mapped out the main illicit economies and criminal groups present in 39 border departments spread across the six countries of study – the Northern Triangle trio of Guatemala, Honduras, and El…

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InSight Crime’s ‘Memo Fantasma’ Investigation Wins Simón Bolívar National Journalism Prize

COLOMBIA / 20 NOV 2020

The staff at InSight Crime was awarded the prestigious Simón Bolívar national journalism prize in Colombia for its two-year investigation into the drug trafficker known as “Memo Fantasma,” which was…

ANALYSIS

InSight Crime – From Uncovering Organized Crime to Finding What Works

COLOMBIA / 12 NOV 2020

This project began 10 years ago as an effort to address a problem: the lack of daily coverage, investigative stories and analysis of organized crime in the Americas. …

ANALYSIS

InSight Crime – Ten Years of Investigating Organized Crime in the Americas

FEATURED / 2 NOV 2020

In early 2009, Steven Dudley was in Medellín, Colombia. His assignment: speak to a jailed paramilitary leader in the Itagui prison, just south of the city. Following his interview inside…

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