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Invisible Drug Kingpin 'Don Lucho' Assassinated in Colombia

AUC / 16 JUL 2021

One of Colombia's foremost drug traffickers and money launderers has been assassinated in Bogotá, leaving important unanswered questions about his own criminal past and who might have been after him.

Video: How Memo Fantasma Was Discovered

COLOMBIA / 28 JUN 2021

After three decades of living in the shadows, Guillermo Acevedo has been caught. Our Co-director, Jeremy McDermott reveals how it came together.

Memo Fantasma, Colombia’s Underworld Ghost, is Captured in Bogotá

AUC / 25 JUN 2021

Guillermo León Acevedo Giraldo, alias “Memo Fantasma,” a former paramilitary leader and longtime drug trafficker who escaped prosecution for decades by living behind a façade of legitimate business dealings, was…

‘Memo Fantasma’ Initiates Criminal Proceeding Against InSight Crime Director

COLOMBIA / 20 APR 2021

An elusive drug trafficker has brought a criminal libel case against InSight Crime Co-director Jeremy McDermott, despite widespread official confirmation of the findings of InSight Crime's two-year investigation.

The Future of the Cocaine Trade to Europe

COCAINE / 9 FEB 2021

The flow of cocaine to Europe may have suffered along with most licit businesses due to the Covid-19 crisis, but few believe the damage to the drug trade will be…

Colombia VP Drops Criminal Complaint Against InSight Crime

COLOMBIA / 29 JUL 2020

Colombia’s Vice President Marta Lucía Ramírez has withdrawn a criminal complaint alleging InSight Crime Co-director Jeremy McDermott defamed her character in a series about a drug trafficker.

Colombia Vice President Threatens InSight Crime with Criminal Charges

COLOMBIA / 29 JUL 2020

Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office has notified InSight Crime Co-director Jeremy McDermott of criminal proceedings brought against him by Vice President Marta Lucía Ramírez in regard to an investigation into the…

Colombia Attorney General Confirms Identity of 'Memo Fantasma'

COLOMBIA / 26 MAY 2020

Colombia’s top prosecutor says that Madrid-based businessman Guillermo León Acevedo Giraldo is Memo Fantasma, confirming InSight Crime's investigation into the identity of the elusive drug lord and paramilitary commander.

How ‘Memo Fantasma’ Sold Property to Colombia VP's Family Company

COLOMBIA / 10 APR 2020

In October 2019, InSight Crime conducted a telephone interview with Álvaro Rincón, the husband of Vice President Marta Lucía Ramírez. The topic was Guillermo León Acevedo Giraldo, alias “Memo Fantasma”…

Colombia VP Marta Lucía Ramírez: 'Memo Fantasma is Not My Husband’s Associate'

COCAINE / 9 APR 2020

In the investigation, "The Invisible Drug Lord: Hunting ‘The Ghost,’" InSight Crime reported that Colombia’s Vice President Marta Lucía Ramírez and her husband, Álvaro Rincón, were shareholders of Hitos Urbanos…

The Ghost Lives the High Life in Madrid

AUC / 29 MAR 2020

The Ghost, a paramilitary drug lord, has moved to Madrid with his millions of drug dollars. He has dodged the Colombian justice system and perhaps secured a pass from the…

Tracking the Ghost: Follow the Money

AUC / 29 MAR 2020

“The Ghost” had fled Medellín, tied off loose ends in the underworld and perhaps suspended his drug trafficking activities. He disappeared with millions of dollars. That kind of money is…

The Ghost Loses Drug Trafficking Partners

AUC / 29 MAR 2020

After the demobilization of the AUC in 2006, the paramilitary high command was behind bars. All except alias “Sebastían Colmenares” and his alter ego, “Memo Fantasma,” who was still moving…

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About InSight Crime

ABOUT US

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.