Two self-defense groups in Mexico's troubled state of Guerrero have accused each other of involvement in organized crime, illustrating the complexity of the criminal landscape in the country's heroin epicenter.
US voters in three states -- including California -- have approved the legalization of recreational marijuana, a decision that is likely to accelerate the trend of Mexican criminal organizations shifting…
A new report sheds light on how the US pharmaceutical industry has poured millions of dollars into an effort to stop public health measures aimed at curbing over-prescription of opioid…
Results of Mexico's antinarcotics strategy in 2016 show that seizures of all types of drugs and of weapons reserved for military use are down while homicides and the production of…
Two of Mexico's most powerful drug cartels are battling for control of the US heroin market, the DEA says, raising the possibility that heroin trafficking patterns may be evolving along…
The governor of Mexico's Guerrero state is again calling for the legalization of opium poppy, the plant from which heroin is derived, as a remedy for extreme insecurity -- a…
Falling coffee production in Mexico's Guerrero state, in part due to a devastating plant fungus, has reportedly contributed to rising poppy cultivation, in turn facilitating the state's transition into a…
US prosecutors have brought charges against a drug ring linked to Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel that turned western New York into "ground zero" for narcotics trafficking in the state, providing further…
The capture of an alleged local Knights Templar chief on the coast of Guerrero promises to bring down insecurity in one of Mexico's most violent states, say authorities. But it…
Mexico's heroin production was a central point in the recent summit of North American leaders, but the remedies under discussion show a remarkable unwillingness to learn from past mistakes.
Mexico has for the first time released its own estimates for the amount of land dedicated to poppy cultivation, and the figures contradict expectations that the government would…
Sam Quiñones' recent book blends separate but overlapping stories of business triumph: pharmaceutical giants' US promotion of powerful narcotics like OxyContin as the painkiller of choice in the 1990s, and the…
About InSight Crime
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Turkey as a Lynchpin in European Cocaine Pipeline
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Memo Fantasma Coverage Gets Worldwide Attention
Guillermo Acevedo, the former Colombian drug lord and paramilitary commander better known as Memo Fantasma, may soon be allowed to leave prison. Since first revealing the identity of Memo Fantasma…
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Inside the criminal career of Memo Fantasma In March 2020, InSight Crime revealed the identity and whereabouts of Memo Fantasma, a paramilitary commander and drug trafficker living in…
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