5 New Creative Ways Traffickers Tried to Smuggle Cocaine The endless growth of the global cocaine trade and the game of whack-a-mole to stop it has propelled innovation and experimentation from drug trafficking organizations to get their product out into the world. Hiding cocaine in banana shipments, hollowed-out lumber, and soy flour have become popular go-to methods, but traffickers aren’t resting on their laurels and always find new ways to get an old job done. The post 5 New Creative Wa...| InSight Crime
Local Media References InSight Crime’s Knowledge of Tren de Aragua On the two-year anniversary of the Venezuelan government’s announcement that Tren de Aragua had been “totally dismantled” following its takeover of the group’s headquarters in the Tocorón prison, regional outlets […] The post Local Media References InSight Crime’s Knowledge of Tren de Aragua appeared first on InSight Crime.| InSight Crime
How Fuel Theft Drives Mexico’s Violence Epidemic Fuel theft has become a catalyst for some of Mexico’s worst violence. Fuel theft gangs must use force to control territory close to pipelines and other oil infrastructure in order to access fuel supplies. Turf disputes commonly spark conflicts between rival groups. As huachicol has expanded into one of the country's largest criminal economies, it has also become one of the deadliest, with citizens, police, and oil workers caught in the cr...| InSight Crime
On the Radar: US Designates Barrio 18 a Terrorist Group This week, we analyze whether the new US terrorist designation for the Barrio 18 gang is political or practical, another prison riot in Ecuador, and how AI is helping organized crime in Mexico. The post On the Radar: US Designates Barrio 18 a Terrorist Group appeared first on InSight Crime.| InSight Crime
Ghost Riders and Deepfake Doctors: Inside Brazil’s AI-Driven Crime Surge Brazil’s criminal groups are weaponizing artificial intelligence (AI) to drive high-tech financial fraud, exploiting gaps in a fast-growing digital ecosystem as banks, legislators, and police scramble to keep up. InSight Crime highlights three recent cases that show how Brazil’s widespread connectivity and AI tools enable cybercriminals to run increasingly sophisticated and lucrative operations. The post Ghost Rid...| InSight Crime
Diesel Subsidy Cut Could Make Fuel Theft Worse in Ecuador Eliminating the diesel subsidy cuts opportunities for smugglers who buy cheap fuel in Ecuador to sell in neighboring countries, but it increases incentives for criminal groups to steal fuel that they use in various illegal activities. Fuel theft is already rising. State-owned oil giant Petroecuador estimated that theft had cost the company $215 million between 2022 and October 2024. The post Diesel Subsidy Cut Could Make Fuel Theft Wo...| InSight Crime
Cartel of the Suns The “Cartel of the Suns” (Cartel de los Soles) is the term used to describe the shadowy groups inside Venezuela’s military that are involved in a wide range of criminal activities, including gasoline smuggling, illegal mining and other corruption schemes, but primarily drug trafficking. The post Cartel of the Suns appeared first on InSight Crime.| InSight Crime
Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel (CSRL) The Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel (CSRL) emerged in Guanajuato as a network of gangs dedicated to fuel theft and became one of the state’s deadliest drivers of violence. Despite government crackdowns and the advance of the CJNG, the CSRL continues to control key criminal economies such as fuel theft, extortion, and methamphetamine sales. The post Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel (CSRL) appeared first on InSight Crime.| InSight Crime
InSight Crime Provides Expert Analysis on US Airstrike As international attention turns to the US government’s escalating War on Drugs policies, InSight Crime’s Deputy Director of Content Mike LaSusa joined the “Angry Planet” podcast to provide expert analysis […] The post InSight Crime Provides Expert Analysis on US Airstrike appeared first on InSight Crime.| InSight Crime
Venezuela Is So Corrupt That Criminals Are Impersonating Government Officials At least seven people have been arrested in Venezuela this year for posing as corrupt officials from the justice system, police and administrative bodies, showing how entrenched corruption has turned public administration into an opportunity for organized crime. The post Venezuela Is So Corrupt That Criminals Are Impersonating Government Officials appeared first on InSight Crime.| InSight Crime
We analyze another US missile strike, the decertification of Colombia, and its sentencing of former FARC leaders.| InSight Crime
Featured News Analysis Q&As Interviews with experts on the latest organized crime trends in Latin America Special Series In our special series, InSight Crime looks at trends in organized crime […]| InSight Crime
We debunk the myths that Tren de Aragua is a terrorist group or involved in international drug trade as the US alleged.| InSight Crime
While murders have dropped, youth in Ciudad Juárez continue to confront extreme violence and struggles with addiction to synthetic drugs.| InSight Crime
The Juárez Cartel is responsible for smuggling tons of narcotics from Mexico into the United States throughout its long, turbulent history.| InSight Crime
Colombia had already proven to be fertile territory for Tren de Aragua's operations, expanding its criminal rents and offering refuge.| InSight Crime
The tightening of US migration policy after Donald Trump, means the number of migrants seeking to cross the US/Mexico border has dropped sharply. Criminal groups are losing prey and a major source of criminal income, so being forced to adapt.| InSight Crime
In Ciudad Juárez, an old criminal guard is being replaced by a new one amid a changing criminal economy on the US-Mexico border.| InSight Crime
The recent involvement of Chile’s air force in protecting a drug shipment has sparked an unprecedented corruption scandal in the country.| InSight Crime
The arrests of seven mayors in Venezuela show how President Maduro has weaponized the supposed fight against crime for his political ends.| InSight Crime
"Creepy" marijuana cultivated in Colombia is in demand in Latin America, and Venezuela provides its exit point.| InSight Crime
Each night at Colombia’s Cúcuta border city, illegal dirt tracks connecting the city to Venezuela become highways for smuggling.| InSight Crime
Nicolas Maduro claimed victory after a disputed election, which will lead to Venezuela cementing its position as a regional crime hub.| InSight Crime
Venezuela’s government has unleashed a new campaign targeting municipal and state officials, police commanders and prosecutors allegedly involved in extortion and drug trafficking.| InSight Crime
Venezuela's Presidents Chávez and Maduro, to secure long-term power, ensured the country's criminal groups would answer to them.| InSight Crime
The regime of President Nicolás Maduro used recent municipal elections to consolidate its control over key criminal territories in Venezuela.| InSight Crime
Operating out of Amazonas in Venezuela, the dissident structure has gained transnational influence. It controls drug trafficking and illegal mining and has the backing of influential state, local and national institutions.| InSight Crime
The government's first operation massively displacing miners from Yapacana lacks transparency and leaves more questions than answers.| InSight Crime
Efforts to reduce illegal gold mining in Yonamami territories by Brazilian president, Lula, appear to have stalled, and the miners are back.| InSight Crime
Seizures of coltan in Colombia have shown the complex networks used by armed groups to smuggle the valuable mineral from illegal mines across the border in Venezuela.| InSight Crime
Essequibo’s long and porous border with Venezuela makes it easy for illegal mining gangs and criminal groups to move in and out.| InSight Crime
Illegal mining is by far the most widespread and insidious environmental crime occurring in the Amazon’s tri-border regions.| InSight Crime
The ex-FARC mafia are a series of criminal structures that emerged from the now demobilized FARC in Colombia.| InSight Crime
The ELN is the last real guerrilla force in Latin America and has transitioned into a real transnational threat in Colombia and Venezuela.| InSight Crime
Repeated and widely publicized government actions against illegal miners in Amazonas state have only deepened the trade's hold.| InSight Crime
Presidential assassination plots and the Jalisco Cartel's influence on government -- the juicy details of Mexico's SEDENA leaks.| InSight Crime
Genaro García Luna will spend the next few decades behind bars. But will that help prevent cartel corruption?| InSight Crime
As violence spikes in the southern Mexican state, the government is sending migrants into the crosshairs of organized crime.| InSight Crime
The conviction of Genaro García Luna is a big victory for US law enforcement institutions. But problems remain in the US-Mexico partnership.| InSight Crime
United States authorities captured a Mexican state's attorney general accused of being part of a drug trafficking ring, a rare case of a prosecutor being directly involved in the smuggling of narcotics into the United States.| InSight Crime
The Sinaloa Cartel is considered the largest and most powerful drug trafficking organization in the Western Hemisphere.| InSight Crime
The Jalisco Cartel New Generation is often considered Mexico's most feared cartel, whose operations stretch across the country.| InSight Crime
An international manhunt is underway to capture a former state security chief for allegedly colluding with a Jalisco Cartel cell in Tabasco.| InSight Crime
A US court has found the brother of the president of Honduras guilty on drug trafficking charges, but serious questions remain about how much of an impact| InSight Crime
Juan Orlando Hernández, was the first Central American president to be accused, tried, and convicted of drug trafficking in the United States| InSight Crime
The former mayor who may bring down Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández first appears on page eight of what can only be described as one of the most| InSight Crime
Matta Ballesteros was wanted for drug trafficking, but he regularly hosted parties for high-level officials at his home.| InSight Crime
Opening up Honduras and its natural resources has had several unintended consequences, including the plundering of the environment.| InSight Crime
A wave of violence against traffic authorities in Ecuador shows how criminal groups look to deepen their control over the country’s streets.| InSight Crime
InSight Crime is a media organization and think tank dedicated to the study of organized crime in the Americas.| InSight Crime
The gangs' demise has radically altered the country’s criminal landscape, liberating territories and illegal markets from their control.| InSight Crime
