How Organized Crime Profits from Migrant Flow Across Colombia's Darién Gap

Migrants crossing the Darién Gap between Colombia and Panama face extortion, rape, violence, and being forced to carry drugs.

Panama Lending Flag to Most Destructive Fishing Ships

When the Chinese fishing fleet was discovered near Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands, its vessels were not all flagged to China. Some flew Panama’s flag.

Panama Struggles to Fight Timber Trafficking in Forests and Ports

A string of seizures highlights Panama's important role in international timber trafficking. The country’s strategic position and the presence of valuable exotic species make the country a hotspot for environmental…

Safehouses, Bodyguards and Fake ID - Panama's Top Drug Trafficker on the Run

The leader of Panama’s largest drug trafficking group has been arrested in Costa Rica and is set to be extradited to the United States, although this is unlikely to heavily…

Panama, Costa Rica: Major Waypoints For Cocaine to Europe

Central American countries seized a record amount of drugs last year, underscoring how the region has become one of the top suppliers of cocaine not only to the United States…

InSight Crime's 2021 Homicide Round-Up

In 2021, most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean experienced a marked increase in murders. Resurgent violence was to be expected after some of the world’s strictest COVID-19 lockdowns…

Sons of Former Panama President Plead Guilty in Odebrecht Investigation

Two sons of former Panama President Ricardo Martinelli have pleaded guilty to criminal charges in the United States related to the sweeping Odebrecht corruption scandal…

Pins and Needles – How Credit Card Fraud Works in Latin America

A recent study of credit card cloning around the world revealed some startling disparities in the risks customers face across Latin America and the price of buying this stolen information.

Raids Reveal Urabeños' Grasp Reaches Panama

A series of arrests have revealed that one of Colombia's dominant criminal groups has a strong foothold in Panama, including the support of corrupt officials and security forces.

Panama Serves as Latest Gateway for Drugs to Europe

Authorities in Panama are intercepting massive loads of cocaine at ports and in coastal waters, showing how the country is increasingly becoming a major transit hub for drugs as traffickers…

Panama's Gang Wars Growing Worryingly Vicious

Two attacks in recent days against gang members in Panama City have raised alarm bells that acts of shocking violence could become a regular occurrence in the country.

Contraband Chinese Cigarettes Take Latin America by Storm

Contraband Chinese cigarettes are pouring into Latin America, infiltrating old smuggling routes and threatening longstanding criminal empires.