Peru in Familiar Stalemate With Shining Path Rebels

Yet again, Peruvian security forces are seeking to force Shining Path guerrillas out a jungle region that produces most of the country’s cocaine, but military operations have long failed to…

Peru Hospital Staff Extort Families to Identify Coronavirus Victims

Amidst Peru’s coronavirus crisis, hospital workers are demanding bribes from relatives to confirm deceased victims’ identities and arrange illegal funerals, revealing how the pandemic has created new opportunities for criminal…

New Index Finds Corruption Worsening Across Latin America

An index looking at the ability of Latin American countries to combat corruption has highlighted that signs of progress are still few and far between, and the region as a…

Soaring Gold Prices During Pandemic Fuel Peru's Illegal Mining

Miners in Peru have skirted coronavirus mobility restrictions to return to Madre de Dios -- an Amazon region where the military launched a massive 2019 operation to root out illegal…

Coronavirus Clemency: Detainees Seek Freedom Across Latin America

As the coronavirus crisis exposes the strains on Latin America’s notoriously overcrowded prison system, members of the region’s criminal elite are seeking temporary conditional releases and transfers to house arrest.

Theft of Critical Medical Equipment Surges in Latin America

Thefts of tests, ventilators and personal protective equipment have shot up across Latin America amid the coronavirus pandemic, threatening lives and taxing governments that already face shortages of critical medical…

Ucayali, Peru's Drug Trafficking Gateway to Bolivia and Brazil

The coronavirus pandemic has halted trafficking in Peru and sent cocaine prices plummeting, but drug seizures continue in the border department of Ucayali, a jungle region that has become a major smuggling corridor…

From Face Masks to Avocados, the Boundless Creativity of Drug Traffickers

Drug traffickers are nothing if not innovative. And faced with increasingly sophisticated techniques for detecting drugs, they have been forced to be increasingly ingenious to successfully transport their merchandise.

Capital Murder: 2019 Homicide Rates in Latin America's Capital Cities

In a year marked by political and criminal turmoil, Latin American capitals did not escape the effects of the violence, organized crime and state repression experienced throughout the region.

Satellite Images Show Evolution of Illegal Gold Mining in Peru

Satellite images show that while military operations against illegal mining in Peru's Madre de Dios region might be paying off, the same fight is not being waged in other parts…

Songbirds to Raptor Eggs, the Looting of Latin America's Bird Species

The case of an infamous Irish trafficker who is facing extradition to Brazil for stealing peregrine falcon eggs has brought attention to the diverse ways in which the region's avian…

InSight Crime’s 2019 Homicide Round-Up

Unrest gripped much of Latin America and the Caribbean throughout 2019. From record violence in Mexico that recalled the darkest days of the drug war, to…