All About Synthetic Drugs

ANALYSIS

Mexico’s Fentanyl Crisis Reached New Heights in 2020

FENTANYL / 14 JAN 2021

Trafficking of the deadly opioid fentanyl skyrocketed in 2020 throughout Mexico, solidifying the synthetic drug's status as a top criminal economy and the country's role as an international trafficking transit…

European Drug Report Shows Advances in Trans-Atlantic Drug Trafficking

COCAINE / 12 OCT 2020

A new major report about drug trafficking and consumption in Europe has provided key insights into how a record production of cocaine in Latin America has impacted the supply of…

US Border Officials See Methamphetamine Resurgence

COVID AND CRIME / 18 AUG 2020

The recent seizure of $16 million worth of methamphetamines by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has highlighted rising meth seizure and overdose trends in the United States — a…

In Chile, Drug Trafficking Becoming More Prominent and Violent

CHILE / 7 AUG 2020

According to a recent assessment, drug trafficking in Chile has become increasingly prominent, diversified, and violent over the past year — mirroring public opinion polling that suggests Chileans are increasingly more…

Mexico Opium Network Shines Light on Marginalized Poppy-Growing Communities

DRUG POLICY / 31 JUL 2020

The fall in heroin prices in the United States and the devastating economic effect this has had on poppy-growing communities in Mexico has been widely discussed and often attributed to…

Continued Street Drug Sales in Tijuana Puts Users at Risk of Coronavirus

COVID AND CRIME / 2 JUN 2020

A coronavirus outbreak in the Mexico border city of Tijuana has not stymied street-level heroin and methamphetamine sales, and its large population of drug users is at high risk of…

Chile Struggles to Deal With Colossal Influx of Synthetic Drugs

CHILE / 3 MAR 2020

Seizures of synthetic drugs in Chile have skyrocketed from 2,304 doses in 2010 to more than 1.6 million doses in 2019, raising the question of how, or even if, Chilean…

Fentanyl Trade Fuels Cartel Battle in Central Mexico

FENTANYL / 2 MAR 2020

Five gangs are reportedly vying for control of the fentanyl trade in Mexico’s inland state of Zacatecas, suggesting that trafficking of this dangerous opioid is happening more widely across Mexico.

Fentanyl Enters Heroin Supply in Tijuana, Mexico

FENTANYL / 30 JAN 2020

Drug users in Tijuana are being unwittingly exposed to the deadly opioid fentanyl in a corridor where the drug is frequently smuggled, but where the effects of the opioid crisis…

Argentina, Chile Team Up in Battle Against Synthetic Drugs

ARGENTINA / 1 OCT 2019

A criminal ring that sent synthetic drugs by mail from Argentina to Chile has been taken down in a joint operation, showing how both countries are teaming up to tackle…

Argentina Tries To Stop Synthetic Drug Traffickers Sidestepping Prosecution

ARGENTINA / 22 AUG 2019

The Argentine government’s new strategy to detect and categorize the chemical components of new illicit substances, looks to confront the country’s growing synthetic drug market.

LatAm Drug Traffickers Take Aim at New Zealand, Australia

ARGENTINA / 12 AUG 2019

A series of small seizures in which Argentine cocaine smugglers sought to reach New Zealand provides evidence of the growing appeal of Pacific markets for Latin American crime groups and…

Small Farmers Hurting in Mexico’s Poppy Growing Heartland

HEROIN / 24 JUN 2019

Tension is brewing among small farmers in a notorious poppy-growing region in Mexico over delivery delays of a government subsidized fertilizer, in just the latest issue facing farmers amid a…

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About InSight Crime

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THE ORGANIZATION

Strategic Communications Manager Job Description

12 FEB 2021

InSight Crime is looking for a full-time strategic communications manager. This person needs to be able to work in a fast-paced world of daily news, high-profile investigations, national and international…

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4 FEB 2021

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THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Events – Border Crime: The Northern Triangle and Tri-Border Area

ARGENTINA / 25 JAN 2021

Through several rounds of extensive field investigations, our researchers have analyzed and mapped out the main illicit economies and criminal groups present in 39 border departments spread across the six countries of study – the Northern Triangle trio of Guatemala, Honduras, and El…

BRIEF

InSight Crime’s ‘Memo Fantasma’ Investigation Wins Simón Bolívar National Journalism Prize

COLOMBIA / 20 NOV 2020

The staff at InSight Crime was awarded the prestigious Simón Bolívar national journalism prize in Colombia for its two-year investigation into the drug trafficker known as “Memo Fantasma,” which was…

ANALYSIS

InSight Crime – From Uncovering Organized Crime to Finding What Works

COLOMBIA / 12 NOV 2020

This project began 10 years ago as an effort to address a problem: the lack of daily coverage, investigative stories and analysis of organized crime in the Americas. …