All About Rastrojos

BOLIVIA / 5 JUL 2016

Growth of cocaine use in South America is outpacing any other region in the world and creating an emerging market boom for organized crime groups that are engaging in…

COLOMBIA / 16 JUN 2016

Venezuela's decision to close its border with Colombia in 2015 has been hugely profitable for criminal groups, who now have unprecedented control over contraband movements in the region.

COLOMBIA / 3 MAY 2016

The recent arrests of Colombian drug trafficking bosses abroad is indicative of how local criminal leaders have set up residence across Latin America, both to expand their illicit business networks…

COLOMBIA / 3 FEB 2016

The recent release of a high-level drug trafficking and money laundering suspect highlights Colombia's continued difficulty in successfully prosecuting organized crime.

COLOMBIA / 19 JAN 2016

Venezuelan police have killed a former Colombian paramilitary accused of committing murders and trafficking drugs along the Venezuela-Colombia frontier, a development which the Maduro government could use to further justify…

AUC / 21 JUL 2015

A profile of a Colombian drug trafficker who, after a long criminal career, disappeared off the radar highlights how key figures in the underworld continue to successfully operate undetected.

COLOMBIA / 6 JUL 2015

A recent capture by Colombian authorities highlights the importance of "super fixers" in modern drug trafficking and the perceived novelty of women in the drug trade.

COLOMBIA / 7 MAY 2015

Authorities in Venezuela have discovered two clandestine graves near the border with Colombia, raising the possibility that violence between warring criminal groups may be claiming even more victims than reported. …

COLOMBIA / 20 APR 2015

Colombia is evaluating two controversial proposals on how to combat and prosecute the latest generation criminal groups, which could have far-reaching implications for the country's armed conflict and any post…

COLOMBIA / 2 FEB 2015

The Colombian port city of Buenaventura is once again on high alert after the discovery of clandestine graves and dismembered bodies, raising questions as to whether last year's militarization of…

COLOMBIA / 11 NOV 2014

A reported clash between criminal groups the Rastrojos and the Urabeños left eight dead along the Colombia-Venezuela border, which, if true, would suggest that the power struggle between these two organizations…

COLOMBIA / 11 NOV 2014

The massacre of eight people on a ranch in the outskirts of Cali -- Colombia's third-largest city and the second-most violent in the country -- has raised alarm over the…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

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…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

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…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

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.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

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,…

THE ORGANIZATION

Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

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…