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 central Colombian department of Antioquia has been the scene of four massacres over the first two months of 2021, as the Urabeños trafficking group aims to expand both its…
On April 30, 1984, the Mercedes taking Colombian Justice Minister Rodrigo Lara Bonilla home after work was strafed with machine gun fire.
A new alliance between two of Colombia's main criminal groups is seeking to contest the ELN's control of lucrative criminal economies along the border with Venezuela.
The killing of an Indigenous leader in Bahia Solano, on Colombia’s Pacific Coast, adds to mounting violence that has fueled the displacement of hundreds, as the Urabeños drug gang…
An army official has touted significant progress in clearing landmines in Colombia, but their expanded use by criminal groups has undercut demining efforts and has led to a sharp rise…
Authorities in Panama’s northwestern province of Bocas del Toro have intercepted a string of vessels carrying large amounts of cocaine, a sign that traffickers are using the archipelago as…
Reports that the Urabeños are re-activating an old drug trafficking route in Montes de María, Colombia, may suggest that it has been pushed to do so due to losing power…
The coronavirus pandemic sparked a shift in Colombia as criminal actors the nation over sought to profit from the sudden change in conditions, the refocusing of state priorities and a…
The Colombian government has blamed drug trafficking for three massacres in the south of the country, but violence in the region is likely spurred by armed groups, who sow terror…
In May 2019, Colombian President Iván Duque vowed to end Los Pachenca, stating that this was a promise from the country's security council. Just over a year on, that promise…
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…
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.
Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…
For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…
We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.
InSight Crime looked at the various anti-organized crime policies proposed by the candidates in Paraguay’s presidential election, which was won on April 30 by Santiago Peña. Our pre-election coverage was cited…
This week, InSight Crime’s work was cited nine times in a new report by the Organization of American States (OAS) titled “The Impact of Organized Crime on Women,…
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