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ANALYSIS

10 Years of the Mérida Initiative: Violence and Corruption

MERIDA INITIATIVE / 26 DEC 2018

The Mérida Initiative celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. Yet since it began providing funding for security in Mexico, problems to do with violence and institutionalized corruption have worsened,…

US Withholds Aid to Mexico Over Human Rights Concerns

HUMAN RIGHTS / 20 OCT 2015

Citing a failure to meet human rights goals, the United States government has withheld $5 million in anti-narcotics funding for Mexico, dealing a sharp symbolic blow to the administration of…

Presidents Call for US to Invest in CentAm Version of 'Plan Colombia'

CRIMINAL MIGRATION / 25 JUL 2014

The presidents of Guatemala and Honduras have used the Central American child migrant crisis to call for regional security investment from the United States along the lines of "Plan Colombia,"…

Mexico Destroys 92 Illegal Landing Strips So Far in 2013

MERIDA INITIATIVE / 23 JUL 2013

Almost a hundred illegal landing strips have been destroyed in Mexico so far this year, a continuation of the significant downward trend over the last six years.

8 Recommendations for Congress on the Merida Initiative

MERIDA INITIATIVE / 24 MAY 2013

InSight Crime Co-Director Steven Dudley was invited to testify before US Congress on May 23, in order to provide an overview of US-Mexico security cooperation, with special emphasis on the…

Dear President Obama, Re: Your Trip to Mexico...

MERIDA INITIATIVE / 3 MAY 2013

Dear President Obama: as you surely remember, your last visit to Mexico City, around April 2009, found us at a pretty bad moment.

US State Dept 2014 Budget Cuts Aid to Colombia, Mexico

CARSI / 12 APR 2013

The US State Department budget proposal for 2014 has reduced aid for Colombia and Mexico while increasing funds for Central America, reflecting changes in regional priorities.

US Report Lists Concerns over Peña Nieto Crime Policy

MERIDA INITIATIVE / 6 FEB 2013

A US Congress report notes potential conflicts with the new Mexican government over how to tackle organized crime, highlighting President Enrique Peña Nieto's plan to prioritize violence reduction over drug…

US to Train Mexican Security Forces in Counter-Terrorism

MERIDA INITIATIVE / 18 JAN 2013

The United States will set up a new special operations headquarters to train Mexican security forces in counter-terrorism techniques, an offshoot of the military aid package, the Merida…

Security Tops Agenda for Mexico's New US Ambassador

DRUG POLICY / 11 JAN 2013

The incoming Mexican ambassador to Washington called for renewed debate on drug prohibition and on gun control within the United States, and said there would be changes…

US Calls on LatAm to Limit Crime-Fighting Role of Militaries

MERIDA INITIATIVE / 9 OCT 2012

The US defense secretary has cautioned Latin American countries against relying on their militaries for law enforcement, which could point to a changing focus in US policy in the region.

US Senate Report Urges Police, Judicial Reform in Mexico Over Military Use

JUDICIAL REFORM / 19 JUL 2012

A new report from the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee has called for a decrease in the Mexican military's role in fighting organized crime, citing alleged army human rights abuses…

Eliminating Cartel Leaders had 'Little Effect' on Mexico Violence: US

HOMICIDES / 14 MAR 2012

During testimony before the US Senate, a top military commander said that the targeting of drug cartel leaders did not have an apparent positive effect in Mexico, an unusual admission…

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Who Are Memo Fantasma and Sergio Roberto de Carvalho?

24 JUN 2022

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…

THE ORGANIZATION

Environmental and Academic Praise

17 JUN 2022

InSight Crime’s six-part series on the plunder of the Peruvian Amazon continues to inform the debate on environmental security in the region. Our Environmental Crimes Project Manager, María Fernanda Ramírez,…

LA ORGANIZACIÓN

Series on Plunder of Peru’s Amazon Makes Headlines

10 JUN 2022

Since launching on June 2, InSight Crime’s six-part series on environmental crime in Peru’s Amazon has been well-received. Detailing the shocking impunity enjoyed by those plundering the rainforest, the investigation…

THE ORGANIZATION

Duarte’s Death Makes Waves

3 JUN 2022

The announcement of the death of Gentil Duarte, one of the top dissident commanders of the defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), continues to reverberate in Venezuela and Colombia.

THE ORGANIZATION

Cattle Trafficking Acclaim, Investigation into Peru’s Amazon 

27 MAY 2022

On May 18, InSight Crime launched its most recent investigation into cattle trafficking between Central America and Mexico. It showed precisely how beef, illicitly produced in Honduras, Guatemala…

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