A Colombian gang leader has been accused of operating a "gota a gota" loansharking network in Chile -- evidence that this extortion tactic continues to spread across the region.
US prosecutors have accused a shadowy Colombian businessman and Venezuelan officials of running a multimillion-dollar graft scheme, underscoring how foreign business elites facilitated the overt and rampant Venezuelan government corruption…
Venezuela is collecting airport taxes through an application that converts these funds into Bitcoin, demonstrating the country’s continuing use of cryptocurrencies to evade US sanctions.
For the first time, authorities in Argentina are using a criminal asset seizure program -- a legal mechanism that strips criminal groups of their wealth but comes with potential pitfalls.
Brazilian prison gang the PCC has laundered an estimated $15 million of drug money through accounts opened by relatives of jailed members, demonstrating the growing sophistication of the gang’s criminal…
The seizure of a vast fortune from a Colombian drug pilot newly returned from prison in the United States shows how lesser-but-still-key actors in the drug…
Mexico's President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has promised to use assets seized from criminal actors to fund a wave of social spending. This novel shift of a longstanding practice in…
Despite a steep drop in their overall value over the last 18 months and a raft of interdictions by Latin American countries, cryptocurrencies continue to offer a convenient haven for…
El Salvador’s groundbreaking "Operación Jaque" (Operation Check) has provided a wealth of information on the Mara Salvatrucha (MS13), revealing the gang’s financial inner workings, its money laundering mechanisms and details…
Argentina officials are investigating the financial arm of a powerful Mexican cartel -- showing the country's eagerness to shed its notoriety as a money laundering hub for international drug traffickers.
Since beginning in Brazil with the “Operation Car Wash” (“Operação Lava Jato”) investigation in 2014, the Odebrecht corruption scandal has been headline news across Latin America. Presidents, lawmakers, and business…
Authorities in Mexico are seeking to attack the finances of the country’s most powerful organized crime groups, but questions remain as to whether the incoming administration has the institutional capacity…
About InSight Crime
Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted
This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…
Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention
Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…
InSight Crime on El País Podcast
This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.
InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press
This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…
Escaping Barrio 18
Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…
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