All About Venezuela

NEWS

Venezuela Kills Gang Leader Whose Political Connections Were 'Open Secret'

ELITES AND CRIME / 27 MAR 2023

The killing of Venezuelan criminal, alias "El Conejo," by authorities is being reported as a major coup. The reality is more complex.

ELITES AND CRIME / 22 MAR 2023

The resignation of Venezuela's Oil Minister, Tareck El Aissami, after the arrest of a close ally may precede a sensational fall.

COLOMBIA / 9 MAR 2023

Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro will play a vital role in the success of Colombia's peace talks with the ELN. Is that a good thing?…

BOLIVIA / 8 MAR 2023

InSight Crime reviews Latin America and the Caribbean's cocaine seizure date from 2022 to find out what it reveals about regional trafficking.

COCAINE / 7 MAR 2023

The US State Department's annual narcotics report sees coca cultivation spreading, while Colombia remains the top cocaine supplier to the US.

EL KOKI / 2 MAR 2023

Venezuelan security forces carry out violent invasions of neighborhoods controlled by gangs, but there is little evidence of their success.

ELN / 24 FEB 2023

A new report has highlighted that organized crime is profiting from the exploitation of millions of migrants from Venezuela.

ELN / 17 FEB 2023

Venezuela has acted against illegal miners. But with close ties between the state and these mining groups, are efforts genuine?…

ELN / 16 FEB 2023

InSight Crime has developed its own methodology to rank Venezuela's organized crime groups. Here, we present the strongest.

VENEZUELA / FEBRUARY 16, 2023

The Central General Staff (Estado Mayor Central - EMC) is the governing body of a group of factions who refused to demobilize during the FARC peace process in 2017.

TREN DE ARAGUA / FEBRUARY 15, 2023

Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias “Niño Guerrero," is the leader of Tren de Aragua, Venezuela's largest homegrown criminal group.

EX-FARC MAFIA / FEBRUARY 15, 2023

The Acacio Medina Front is a dissident group that emerged from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), also known as the ex-FARC mafia.

VENEZUELA / FEBRUARY 15, 2023

Hermágoras González Polanco has been active in Venezuela's drug trafficking scene for over four decades, thanks to his ability to adapt.

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…