Colombia Report Triples Number of Known False Positives Victims

A special tribunal has stated the number of victims connected to Colombia’s false positives scandal is almost three times higher than previously reported, dramatically expanding the scope of one of…

The United States, a Special Operations Unit and a Massacre in Mexico

US authorities at both the federal and state level provided training to members of a Mexican special operations unit with a history of alleged human rights abuses that was recently…

US-Trained Police Implicated in Mexico Migrant Massacre

A dozen police officers have been implicated in the massacre of 19 people along the US-Mexico border at the end of January, underscoring the systematic violence directed at those most…

InSight Crime’s 2020 Homicide Round-Up

While unrest gripped much of Latin America in 2019, it was the coronavirus that took center stage and ripped through the region in 2020, upending everything from commercial trade to…

Guatemala’s Anti-Extortion Plan: A Legacy of Unkept Promises

It was one of Alejandro Giammattei’s most emphatic promises. One year later, the Interior Ministry supported his strategy to reduce extortions by cutting off access to communication devices among the…

Haiti President Calls for Aid as Gang Kidnappings Surge

The president of Haiti is urging citizens to work together with the Caribbean nation’s police force to help quell an alarming uptick in gang kidnappings for ransom, highlighting the state’s…

New Houses, Same Violence: Argentina’s Public Housing Challenge

In Buenos Aires, a shootout between gangs in a public housing development has highlighted a deficiency in Argentina’s public housing initiative: without complimentary security policies, public housing projects offer gangs…

Bolivia Rivers Become Increasingly Popular Drug Trafficking Routes

Drug trafficking routes are starting to appear along rivers and canals in Bolivia, threatening to complicate efforts to stop the flow of cocaine to international markets.

3 Unexplored Criminal Challenges Awaiting President Joe Biden

President Joe Biden’s policy documents on Latin America tread familiar ground. But the region contains a range of other security and criminal threats that are of direct concern to the…

Trump Leaves Biden Corruption Problem at Mexico Border Wall

Former President Donald Trump’s border wall project has developed a spotty record of attracting organized crime to its many construction sites, leaving the incoming Biden administration with a financial, legal…

No Time to Wait: Biden’s Security Challenges in Central America

Given the challenges of a deadly pandemic, President Joe Biden could be forgiven for not having Central America’s security at the top of his agenda on day one, or 100…

Pandemic Aid Money Fuels Brazil’s Bank Robberies

Authorities in Brazil have dismantled a criminal organization specialized in the cloning of debit cards to steal emergency aid and other relief funds, highlighting how criminal groups are cashing in…