All About Rastrojos

COLOMBIA / 13 MAR 2013

The Colombian government has failed to properly assess the threat posed by the rise of two "neo-paramilitary cartels," which now aim to control every level of criminal activity in Colombia,…

COLOMBIA / 11 MAR 2013

Revelations that a Bogota drug gang had international criminal contacts across the Americas and in Europe illustrate the increasing role that local groups play in international organized crime.

COLOMBIA / 28 FEB 2013

Police have arrested the alleged leader of criminal group the Rastrojos in Colombia's coffee region, in another blow to the already weakened criminal organization.

COLOMBIA / 25 FEB 2013

Spanish police have dismantled an alleged network of Colombian hitmen in a case that highlights the foothold that Colombian criminal groups retain in the country -- and the growing influence…

COLOMBIA / 31 JAN 2013

The US government has placed sanctions on Colombian drug gang the Rastrojos, including one of its top leaders who was captured last year, suggesting the United States is preparing to…

COLOMBIA / 31 JAN 2013

An official report highlights the startling explosion of youth gangs in the city of Cali, Colombia, feeding the conflict between rival criminal groups the Urabeños and the Rastrojos.

COLOMBIA / 30 JAN 2013

Colombian police have captured the alleged head of the once-mighty Machos drug gang, in a blow to his allies in the Urabeños, and their campaign to push rivals the Rastrojos…

COLOMBIA / 29 JAN 2013

Criminal gangs are now only present in 10 percent of Colombia's municipalities, according to the country's defense minister, although there is reason to doubt his assertion.

COLOMBIA / 10 JAN 2013

Colombia's main criminal groups and leftist guerrillas along the Pacific Coast have aligned to traffic drugs in certain areas but are battling for control of these drugs in others, says…

COLOMBIA / 28 DEC 2012

Lorena Henao Montoya, known as the "Widow of the Mafia," was murdered after assassins on a motorcycle strafed her car with bullets in the province of Armenia, just the latest…

COLOMBIA / 28 NOV 2012

Colombia's Urabeños gang, as part of ongoing expansion, reportedly purchased gold mining operations from their rivals the Rastrojos, although this agreement was not respected…

COLOMBIA / 13 NOV 2012

A new report by Cali-based newspaper El Pais details how the decimated remnants of the Norte del Valle Cartel decided to "sell" their province, home to Colombia's…

About InSight Crime

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Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

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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…

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Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

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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.

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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,…

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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…