The Gaitanistas, also known as the Gulf Clan, Urabeños, and Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia – AGC), emerged from the ashes of Colombia’s paramilitary movement to become the dominant criminal force in Colombia.
The municipality of El Bagre in the Bajo Cauca region of Antioquia department is a clear example of what could become Colombia’s post-conflict situation: disputes between armed groups over control…
Growth of cocaine use in South America is outpacing any other region in the world and creating an emerging market boom for organized crime groups that are engaging in…
Colombia's organized crime groups are preparing to take over FARC-held territory once the rebel group withdraws from a decades-long conflict, but the country's looming peace deal is not a wholly…
The recent bust of a drug trafficking network linked to the Urabeños criminal organization exemplifies the type of increased pressure Colombia's security forces are set to apply on organized crime as…
From the jungles of Brazil to the elegant boulevards of Madrid, some of Colombia's most renowned drug traffickers of recent memory have been captured abroad, a sign of how the…
Venezuela's decision to close its border with Colombia in 2015 has been hugely profitable for criminal groups, who now have unprecedented control over contraband movements in the region.
Colombian authorities’ announcement that another important mid-level commander of the Urabeños was killed over the weekend indicates the government continues to exert pressure on the criminal group, although top commanders…
Monitoring groups say displacement in Colombia is once again rising, a trend likely linked to clashes between armed groups positioning themselves to capitalize on criminal opportunities created by the expected…
The Caribbean archipelago of San Andrés, Colombia, has been a smuggling hub for centuries, serving as a crossroads for illegal activities between mainland Colombia and Central America. Today, these highly strategic islands remain…
Drug seizures along Colombia's Pacific coast have shot up this year, indicating a possible shift in internal drug trafficking routes as security crackdowns and peace negotiations reshape the country's underworld.
Argentina approved the extradition of top Colombian drug lord "Mi Sangre" to the United States, creating speculation as to what information he may offer US drug officials and why he…
The arrest of an Interpol agent who allegedly colluded with the Urabeños is fresh proof that Colombia's principal transnational drug trafficking organization remains powerful in the face of intensifying security…
InSight Crime’s work on emerging coca cultivation in Honduras, Guatemala, and Venezuela was cited in the Colombian government’s…
Investigators Victoria Dittmar and María Fernanda Ramírez discussed InSight Crime’s recent investigation of a massacre in Honduras’ only women’s prison in a Twitter Spaces event on…
Leading Mexican media outlet El Universal featured our most recent investigation, “The Geography of Human Trafficking on the US-Mexico Border,” on the front page of its August 30…
This week, Jeremy McDermott, co-director of InSight Crime, was interviewed by La Sexta, a Spanish television channel, about the situation of extreme violence and insecurity in Ecuador…
Non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch relied on InSight Crime's coverage this week, citing six articles and one of our criminal profiles in its latest report on the humanitarian…
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