Human Smuggling

All About Human Smuggling

NEWS

Migrants Disappearing, Dying as US-Mexico Border Remains Closed

HUMAN RIGHTS / 27 JUL 2021

Reports of migrants dying and disappearing in the US-Mexico borderlands are becoming increasingly common, propelled in part by a restrictive border policy pushing people to cross through more remote and…

Human Smugglers Profit From Despair of Haitian Migrants in Brazil

BRAZIL / 20 JUL 2021

Government officials in Brazil say smugglers are moving Haitian migrants across the country's border with Peru, as many of them take a first step in the perilous journey north toward…

Smugglers Head to the Pacific, Ferrying People From Mexico to the US

HUMAN SMUGGLING / 17 MAY 2021

A boat that capsized off California’s shores carrying some 30 people who paid more than $15,000 each to be shuttled from Mexico to the US offers the latest evidence of…

Dismantled Network Illustrates Pattern in the Exploitation of Venezuelan Migrants in Colombia

COLOMBIA / 5 APR 2021

A sophisticated human trafficking network dismantled in Colombia, illustrates a pattern in how Venezuelan citizens, particularly women, are recruited.

Color-coded Bracelets for Migrants: Separating Poor from Poorer at US-Mexico Border

HUMAN SMUGGLING / 19 MAR 2021

A recent report from the US-Mexico border revealed that human smuggling organizations have begun giving special bracelets to undocumented migrants, a practice that seems to illustrate the different tiers that…

Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

COCAINE / 4 MAR 2021

Strategically located between Argentina and Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul is a hub for contraband and drug smuggling.

InSight Crime Presents Guatemala Cross-Border Crime and Corruption Investigation

COCAINE / 4 FEB 2021

Drug trafficking has been reconfigured in Guatemala. The large clans that traditionally dominated the business have broken up.

Human Smuggling Thrives Between Costa Rica and Nicaragua

COSTA RICA / 15 JAN 2021

Recent interceptions linked to the illicit smuggling of migrants at Nicaragua’s border with Costa Rica have illustrated the extent to which clandestine groups and individuals dedicated to the trade continue…

Migrants at Risk as Coronavirus Shutters Mexico Shelters

COVID AND CRIME / 12 JAN 2021

The coronavirus pandemic has forced migrant shelters in Mexico to close or limit capacity, exacerbating an already precarious situation for migrants vulnerable to the predations of criminal groups.

GameChangers 2020:  How Organized Crime Survived the Pandemic

BARRIO 18 / 21 DEC 2020

Welcome to InSight Crime’s Criminal GameChangers 2020, where we highlight the most important trends in organized crime in the Americas over the course of the year. …

Contraband Turns to Bloodshed Between Ecuador and Peru

ARMS TRAFFICKING / 17 NOV 2020

A series of assassinations on Ecuador’s southern border with Peru have been attributed to gang members fighting for control of the illegal crossings by which both people and contraband are…

Human Smugglers Continue to Cash In on Haitian Migrants

BOLIVIA / 14 SEP 2020

A sophisticated human smuggling ring that illegally moved migrants from Haiti across a number of Latin American countries into Chile shows that the Caribbean nation’s crisis remains a gold mine…

The Ongoing Trafficking and Killing of Venezuelan Women in Mexico

GENDER AND CRIME / 16 JUN 2020

The rescue of three Venezuelan forced into sex trafficking in Mexico City has once again shone a spotlight on the ongoing violent treatment and deaths of Venezuelan migrants in the…

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About InSight Crime

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THE ORGANIZATION

Unraveling the Web of Elites Connected to Organized Crime

27 JUL 2021

InSight Crime published Elites and Organized Crime in Nicaragua, a deep dive into the relationships between criminal actors and elites in that Central American nation.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Greater Focus on US-Mexico Border

20 JUL 2021

InSight Crime has decided to turn many of its investigative resources towards understanding and chronicling the criminal dynamics along the US-Mexico border.

THE ORGANIZATION

Key Arrests and Police Budget Increases Due to InSight Crime Investigations

8 JUL 2021

With Memo Fantasma’s arrest, InSight Crime has proven that our investigations can and will uncover major criminal threats in the Americas.

THE ORGANIZATION

Organized Crime’s Influence on Gender-Based Violence

30 JUN 2021

InSight Crime investigator Laura N. Ávila spoke on organized crime and gender-based violence at the launch of a research project by the United Nations Development Programme.