All About Soccer Crime

BRAZIL / 2 JUN 2014

The son of retired Brazilian soccer star Pele has been sentenced to 33 years in prison for the laundering of drug proceeds, becoming the latest criminal to take advantage of…

MONEY LAUNDERING / 30 MAY 2014

Soccer has long been a unifying force in Latin America. When the World Cup begins on June 12, televisions in homes across the region will be tuned to the matches.

ARGENTINA / 14 MAY 2014

Authorities in Argentina have busted a gang of drug trafficking soccer hooligans, in a case that illustrates the criminal potential of the well-connected thugs known as "barras bravas."…

GUATEMALA / 10 JAN 2014

The title is not the name of the latest Guy Ritchie film. It refers to the relationship between soccer, avocados, wire transfers and money laundering in Latin America.

COLOMBIA / 17 DEC 2013

The father of Argentina and Barcelona soccer star Lionel Messi is under investigation for laundering drug money, in the latest scandal offering evidence that ties between organized crime and soccer…

COLOMBIA / 15 NOV 2013

A Spanish judge has ordered proceedings against a director of the Atletico Madrid soccer team and a former Spain international for allegedly laundering money on behalf of drug traffickers from…

ARGENTINA / 11 NOV 2013

A court in Argentina has taken control of a soccer player's registration while it investigates if funds from any future transfer were destined for a drug gang, in a case…

EL SALVADOR / 25 OCT 2013

In August this year, the sports magazine El Grafico published a story that shook the country: a player from the national soccer team, speaking anonymously, claimed that an international match…

ARGENTINA / 27 AUG 2013

The director of Argentina's federal police has received a death threat believed to be from one of the country's "soccer mafias" -- violent gangs that control the sport and…

ARGENTINA / 17 JUN 2013

A coordinated “mega-wave” of raids has exposed an alleged major money laundering and tax evasion scheme involving soccer clubs in Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile.

COLOMBIA / 26 SEP 2012

A Colombian soccer team announced that it may give up two titles won while the club was owned by a drug trafficker in the 1980s, drawing attention to the long…

GULF CARTEL / 9 JAN 2012

A goalkeeper suspended from a first-division soccer team in Monterrey, north Mexico, has been arrested on charges of helping a kidnapping ring to select wealthy targets.

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…