All About Timber Trafficking

COCA / 7 JAN 2019

Two years after the signing of a peace deal between the Colombian government and the FARC, Colombia’s forests are under siege and experiencing heightened levels of deforestation promoted by various…

COCAINE / 17 DEC 2018

In early December, authorities dramatically curtailed the power of the Pelle-Vottari clan -  a grouping within the formidable ‘Ndrangheta mafia — arresting Domenico Pelle along with 89 others associated with…

ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME / 6 MAR 2018

Authorities in Paraguay have arrested more than a dozen police officers for attempting to steal confiscated wood, underscoring the attractiveness of Latin America's illegal logging industry for opportunistic corrupt law…

ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME / 9 NOV 2017

A new report into an emblematic case of timber trafficking in Peru highlights the corruption and fraud that continue to sabotage attempts to crack down on a trade that is…

ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME / 25 OCT 2017

The United States has blocked imports from a Peru timber exporter suspected of illegal logging in a move that is the first of its kind. But the impact of the…

ELITES AND CRIME / 19 OCT 2017

It was around midnight that police in a rural area of the northern department of Olancho first heard the distinctive buzz of a low-flying aircraft. Night duty officers in three…

ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME / 16 MAY 2017

A new study estimates that up to 30 percent of all deforestation in three Central American countries is due to cocaine trafficking, providing some much-needed data on the relationship between…

ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME / 3 MAY 2017

An indigenous leader in Nicaragua says loggers are offering weapons to his community in exchange for illegally logging forests in their territory, providing yet another example of how Latin America's…

ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME / 20 APR 2017

A new investigation by the Associated Press has shed additional light on how corruption and lack of political will act as prime drivers of Peru's lucrative illegal logging trade, with…

ELITES AND CRIME / 28 MAR 2017

A new report estimates that transnational crime in the developing world may be a multi-trillion dollar annual business, generating huge illicit financial flows that should be investigated and disrupted…

BRAZIL / 9 MAR 2017

Authorities in Brazil have announced a new strategy to reduce illegal logging and timber trafficking in the Amazon, but the plan is likely to face serious obstacles given the magnitude…

ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME / 24 JAN 2017

The murder in Mexico of indigenous activist and human rights defender Isidro Baldenegro López highlights the inevitablity of deadly collisions between environmental activists and organized crime across Latin America.

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…

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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…

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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.

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…