Thanks to a combination of great organizational capacity, control of prisons, high levels of loyalty among its members and dominance of key criminal economies, the PCC has become one of…
A series of marijuana seizures reported over the last few months, highlight the magnitude of the drug flow from Jamaica headed to the United States, as well as the difficulties…
The seizure of a marijuana shipment of over 4 tons in Chile in mid-November, the largest drug bust in the country’s history, has confirmed that the Chilean market makes it…
With Colombia now producing more cocaine than ever before, the rise of illegal mining, as well as widespread extortion, the ex-FARC mafia has all the resources it needs to rebuild…
A high-profile Argentine drug lord is accused of colluding with a vast network of local politicians and police officers to transport large quantities of marijuana in one of the most…
While Colombia is known for its vast coca fields, the hillsides of its Cauca region are covered in another illicit crop: highly potent marijuana.
Venezuela’s anti-narcotics agency reported that marijuana made up 80 percent of the country’s drug seizures in the first six months of 2019, contradicting reports from international organizations that point to…
A remote stretch of forest in the north of Argentina was used to conceal a marijuana plantation, pointing to new dynamics in the Tri-Border area as criminal groups in Paraguay…
Authorities in Argentina have hailed the record-high increase of drug seizures and arrests made since 2015 as a sign that their security strategy is working, but critics warn that the…
A province in northeast Argentina is running out of jail space after droves of marijuana trafficking arrests, illustrating how the South American nation continues to grow as both a transit…
Colombia’s newly announced proposals to disrupt drug production by cutting access to power sources and alkaloids to rural areas might sound innovative on paper but are unlikely to have a…
Recreational marijuana in Canada is now officially legal, and while the decision is unlikely have a significant impact on Latin America’s black market, it could trigger a shift towards more…
About InSight Crime
Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua Becomes Truly Transnational
This week, InSight Crime published a deep dive into the total control that Venezuelan mega-gang, Tren de Aragua, has over the lives of those it smuggles between Venezuela and Chile…
Turkish Traffickers Delivering Latin American Cocaine to Persian Gulf
Last week, InSight Crime published the second half of an investigation piecing together the emerging role of Turkish cocaine traffickers in supplying Russia and the Persian Gulf, which are among…
Turkey as a Lynchpin in European Cocaine Pipeline
InSight Crime is extending its investigation into the cocaine pipeline to Europe, and tracking the growing connections between Latin American drug traffickers and European criminal organizations. This led us to…
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…
Who Are Memo Fantasma and Sergio Roberto de Carvalho?
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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