A second vigilante force has announced its arrival in a rural region of Michoacan, south Mexico, pointing to the government's failure to provide security to the population in the remote…
In a particularly tense election year for Venezuela, there are new fears that the militant collectives in Caracas' 23 de Enero barrio are stirring trouble, with no sign the groups…
Residents of the town of Cheran in Michoacan, west Mexico, briefly kidnapped 16 police officers to demand an investigation into illegal logging in their community, following a clash between locals…
Guatemalan authorities are investigating reports that "citizen security committees" have committed abuses against civilians in a suburb of Guatemala City.
A disturbing new report by elPeriodico shows how the Internet is being used to target alleged criminals in Guatemala. As with Anonymous' threats to "out" Zetas in Mexico, the case…
Vigilante justice is on the rise in Guatemala, according to a new government report, which says that extra-judicial attacks have shot up more than five-fold since 2004.
Plaza Publica investigates a vigilante group that has sprung up in a popular tourist destination in southwest Guatemala, where residents have taken the law into their own hands in the…
Examples of vigilante groups abound in Mexico, but all have been short-lived, and their emergence appears to have little to do with the rising tide of drug violence.
The mayor of a small town in northern Mexico has announced that his people are on the verge of arming themselves in response to a series of clashes between cartel…
As Ollanta Humala prepares to take office in a Peru increasingly concerned by drug trafficking and crime, one curious element of his security policy is a focus on legal peasant…
A Venezuelan non-governmental organization has released a report warning of the spread of vigilante groups, often involving police, operating in the country.
As drug-related violence increases in Mexico, and the justice system seems unable to cope, an increasing number of citizens are turning to vigilantism to protect themselves and administer justice in…
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InSight Crime Events – Border Crime: The Northern Triangle and Tri-Border Area
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…
InSight Crime’s ‘Memo Fantasma’ Investigation Wins Simón Bolívar National Journalism Prize
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…
InSight Crime – From Uncovering Organized Crime to Finding What Works
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. …
InSight Crime – Ten Years of Investigating Organized Crime in the Americas
In early 2009, Steven Dudley was in Medellín, Colombia. His assignment: speak to a jailed paramilitary leader in the Itagui prison, just south of the city. Following his interview inside…
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