All About Environmental Crime

INVESTIGATIONS

Corruption at Every Stage: Legal Actors Meet Criminal Networks

COCA / 22 SEP 2021

From ornamental fish trafficking to land grabbing, corruption greases the wheels of every environmental crime motor, feeding deforestation and biodiversity loss in Colombia’s Amazon region.

A Roaring Trade: Wildlife Trafficking in Colombia’s Amazon

COLOMBIA / 15 SEP 2021

While not as lucrative as illegal mining, wildlife trafficking is still a multimillion-dollar business.

As Marijuana Profits Dry Up, Mexico Crime Groups Turn to Alcohol and Logging

ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME / 8 SEP 2021

Mexico remains the main international provider of marijuana for the United States, but this has greatly diminished since 2013, forcing certain criminal groups to adapt and look for other funds.

Exploring Illegal Mining in Colombia’s Amazon

AUC / 8 SEP 2021

As gold prices have skyrocketed, criminal groups once solely dedicated to the trafficking of drugs and arms have moved into illegal mining.

Deforestation in Colombia's Amazon: Outlining the Problem

COCA / 1 SEP 2021

Deforestation is the most visible face of environmental crime in Colombia’s Amazon.

Executive Summary

COCA / 1 SEP 2021

Emerging from almost six decades of civil conflict, the world’s number one cocaine producer has paid scant attention to environmental crime.

Tentacles of Illegal Octopus Trade Clutch Mexico Town

ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME / 27 AUG 2021

Seizures of illegally harvested octopus off Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula are shedding light on how corruption in a coastal community facilitates the black market in marine life.

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.

Mass Deforestation in Paraguay Destroys National Parks

ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME / 26 AUG 2021

Despite its small size, Paraguay continues to shock Latin America with its extremely high levels of deforestation, outnumbering most of its much larger neighbors -- especially in the destruction of…

Million-Dollar Seizure of Shark Fins Leads to Lenient Fine in Ecuador

ECUADOR / 10 AUG 2021

The alleged exporter of a shipment of 26 tons of illegal shark fins from Ecuador to Hong Kong has received a fine of a few thousand dollars, showing how people…

How Many Creepy-Crawlies Can a Trafficker Hide in His Luggage?

BRAZIL / 30 JUL 2021

There is one crucial quality for any successful wildlife trafficker: tenacity. And Kirill Kravchenko had it in spades.

Brazilian Authorities Clamp Down on Cattle Theft

BRAZIL / 29 JUL 2021

A number of arrests made to tackle a sophisticated cattle rustling operation in Brazil have suggested authorities are stepping up efforts to target the crime.

Fishing Cooperatives Used to Mask Drug Shipments into Mexico

COLOMBIA / 28 JUL 2021

Mexico's largest criminal groups are outsourcing the retrieval of cocaine shipments to smaller groups posing as fishing cooperatives, providing another example of how maritime infrastructure is subverted by the drug…

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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…

THE ORGANIZATION

Exploring Climate Change and Organized Crime

10 SEP 2021

In July, InSight Crime Co-director Steven Dudley moderated a panel for the Climate Reality Project's regional series of workshops for young climate activists in the Americas. The week-long event…

THE ORGANIZATION

Gearing Up a New Class of Interns

3 SEP 2021

InSight Crime is readying its newest class of interns – from universities in Europe and the Americas – to begin investigative work on a number of high-impact projects. For the…

THE ORGANIZATION

Tracking Environmental Crime in the Amazon

27 AUG 2021

Next week, InSight Crime launches an investigation – conducted with Brazilian think-tank the Igarapé Institute – on the sophisticated organized crime structures and armed groups that…

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