FARC Step Up Extortion; Multinationals Targeted

The recent arrest of the FARC's alleged "extortion mastermind" shows that the guerrillas are intent on expanding a revenue stream which will make Colombia's government very nervous: the…

Mexican Gangs: Not Monsters, but Rational Actors

Though notorious for their brutality, Mexico’s organized criminal groups are rational actors who respond to market dynamics. If they are not forced into a showdown or loss of face, their…

Mexico Casino Arson Suspects 'Did not Plan Massacre'

Mexican authorities paraded five men accused of the Monterrey casino arson attack, who allegedly told investigators that they had not intended to kill so many people.

El Salvador Buses Strike Against Extortion Rackets

At least two bus routes around San Salvador have been hit by drivers striking to demand that the authorities protect them from extortion demands by gangs.

Micro-Extortion Fills Pockets of Colombia Gangs

Shop owners, bus drivers and street vendors all have to make weekly extortion payments to the many gangs in Medellin, Colombia. The payments are small and difficult to track, but…

'Criminal Organizations Deepen Extortion Activities in U.S.'

Extortion has long been a favored tactic of drug gangs in Central America and Mexico, but evidence suggests that criminal organizations may be increasingly running these activities from inside the…

Argentina Arrests 'Chinese Mafia' Members Over Extortion

Argentina's authorities arrested four suspected members of a gang, two of them from China, who allegedly targeted Chinese establishments for extortion in the area around Buenos Aires.

FARC Massacre 7 who Impersonated Rebels in Extortion Racket

Colombian rebels are believed to be behind the massacre of seven people who pretended to be the FARC in order to extort money, as the guerrillas step up their extortion…

Rio’s Militias: Fighting Crimes or Committing Them?

A Brazilian militia's invasion of hundreds of government apartments in Rio, which it then sold on, is another sign of how these vigilante groups seem more interested in committing crimes…

Criminal Gangs Control Mexican Territory: Govt

Mexico's government secretary said that organized criminal groups now control whole areas of territory in the country, and charge fees for other groups to operate there.

For Mexican Cartels, Cash is King

Drug trafficking is the single most lucrative activity for criminal groups in Mexico, but while the supply chain and production methods associated with it are fairly well known, the micro-economic…

Extortion Rings Run From Colombia's Prisons

With talk in Medellin about creating a cashless public transport system and moves in Bogota towards installing cell phone signal jammers in prison, Colombian authorities are considering increasingly dramatic measures…