Mexico's armed forces have reportedly killed Knights Templar leader Enrique "El Kike" Plancarte in a shootout. His death comes just weeks after the killing of the Knights' main leader Nazario…
A dissident faction of a vigilante group in Mexico's Guerrero state has allegedly attacked other community police, in a sign this group, like their Michoacan neighbors, is experiencing major cracks…
The arrest of a top vigilante leader in Michoacan has sparked tensions between the self-defense movement and Mexico's government, and internal disputes and alleged criminal infiltration are causing growing concern over…
The killing by Mexican navy commandos of bizarre Michoacan gangster Nazario "The Craziest One" Moreno will prove a short lived victory for both the government and the "self-defense" militias it…
The death of Knights Templar leader "El Chayo" in Mexico has had little outward effect on the group's leadership structure, though the take down of the group's spiritual guide could…
Nearly a year after the vigilante movement arose in Michoacan, Mexico, the militias are now suffering divisions over the thorny issue of the integration of former Knights Templar members into…
Mexico's Pacific coastal state of Guerrero is the site of escalating chaos, a problem partly hidden by the federal government's single-minded focus on the neighboring state of Michoacan.
The reach of southwestern Mexico's self-defense militias has swelled in recent weeks, but while in some parts of the country they have been aided by federal forces, in others they…
A meeting between a senior government official and a leading member of Mexico's self-defense militias in Michoacan has put both sides on the defensive after details emerged of the vigilante…
Mexico's so-called "self-defense" groups have participated in their first major joint operation with state security forces, making numerous arrests in the Michoacan capital of Apatzingan. Some vigilantes were unarmed, others…
Mexico nationals living in the United States are helping fund the country's ever-growing self-defense militias, while recent gruesome murders indicate the internal armed conflict will not be calming down any…
Mexico mining companies extorted by criminal groups are reportedly paying Michoacan self-defense forces for protection, a development that places the groups on a disturbingly similar path to that taken by the…
About InSight Crime
Escaping Barrio 18
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…
Europe Coverage Makes a Splash
Last week, InSight Crime published an analysis of the role of Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport as an arrival hub for cocaine and methamphetamine from Mexico. The article was picked up by…
World Looks to InSight Crime for Mexico Expertise
Our coverage of the arrest of Chapitos’ co-founder Ovidio Guzmán López in Mexico has received worldwide attention.In the UK, outlets including The Independent and BBC…
InSight Crime Shares Expertise with US State Department
Last week, InSight Crime Co-founder Steven Dudley took part in the International Anti-Corruption Conference organized by the US State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, & Labor and…
Immediate Response to US-Mexico Marijuana Investigation
InSight Crime’s investigation into how the legalization of marijuana in many US states has changed Mexico’s criminal dynamics made a splash this week appearing on the front page of…
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