InSight Crime
14 years of research and analysis on organized crime and corruption in Latin America and the Caribbean.
- 🇻🇪 🇨🇴 | The US expects Delcy Rodríguez’s government to show concrete results against guerrilla groups linked to drug trafficking in Venezuela. Will Chavismo be willing to sacrifice old relationships for new commitments to Washington? Read more here: bit.ly/4pRPsSs
- 🇨🇴 | Criminal groups are increasingly using social media to recruit minors in countries like Colombia, Mexico, and Ecuador. Fake job offers, content that glorifies these groups, and threats are among the methods used. Read more: bit.ly/4ljaIhQ
- 🇻🇪 | Following former President Nicolás Maduro’s arrest by the United States, the colectivos that have defended the Chavista regime for decades took to the streets. How much influence will these criminal groups have in the new power struggle in Venezuela? Read more: bit.ly/4qbserp
- 🇻🇪 | For years, Venezuela's Cartel of the Suns has been erroneously perceived as a vertically integrated drug trafficking organization. But what is it really, and how has it been impacted by Maduro's arrest? Find out at our exclusive event in English here: bit.ly/45Q26dA
- 🇪🇨 🇨🇴 | The trade war between Ecuador and Colombia is the latest in a long list of diplomatic tensions that have affected Gustavo Petro’s government. Meanwhile, organized crime could benefit from the deterioration in cooperation between the two countries. Read more: bit.ly/4k6iYCD
- 🇨🇴 | President Gustavo Petro prioritized the capture of Colombia's three criminal leaders after meeting with President Donalnd Trump. The top leader of the Gaitanistas, Jobanis de Jesús Ávila, alias “Chiquito Malo,” is a top target. Read his profile here: bit.ly/4qOOMy1
- 🇪🇨 | Taking advantage of weak government oversight, Ecuador’s criminal groups, such as the Lagartos and Águilas, have created their own private security firms, using them to carry firearms and launder money. Read our coverage here: bit.ly/4qUMoX1
- 🇪🇸 | Spanish authorities made a record seizure of 13 tons of cocaine from Ecuador in October 2024, and a senior Spanish police officer was recently accused of participating. Read about the seizure.
- #NewAnalysis | Top Criminal Takedowns of 2025.
- 🇻🇪 🇺🇸 | How has Nicolás Maduro's arrest impacted organized crime in Venezuela, a month on? Explore our special coverage to learn about the reactions of armed groups such as the Caracas colectivos and the ELN on the Colombian-Venezuelan border: bit.ly/4qmWT4v
- 🇪🇨 🇨🇴 | Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced 30% tariffs on imports from Colombia, claiming that the neighboring country is not doing enough to combat organized crime. Read how this trade war could backfire: bit.ly/4k6iYCD
- 🇻🇪 | Pro-government armed groups, or colectivos, have been patrolling the streets of Caracas since former President Nicolás Maduro’s arrest. Learn more about these criminal groups and the risk they could pose to US plans in Venezuela: bit.ly/4qbserp
- 🇬🇹 | A 5-ton seizure in Guatemala’s Quetzal port is the country’s largest in over a decade. Guatemala lies along an important transit route headed to the United States. Read our Cocaine Seizure Round-Up for more: bit.ly/4nCplyW
- 🇧🇷 | In Brazil, São Paulo’s First Capital Command (PCC) once enforced rules in the favelas, banning the robbery of residents and providing social services to the communities. But its “Robin Hood” days are over. Read our analysis to learn more: bit.ly/3Ze6Wh3
- 🇨🇴 | The recruitment of minors by criminal organizations via social media is on the rise in Latin America. In Colombia, a report found that 44% of child recruitment in 2025 occurred via these platforms. Read more about this trend: bit.ly/4ljaIhQ
- 🇵🇾 | Paraguay's anti-drug agency reported the eradication of 143 hectares of marijuana crops and the seizure of six tons in the country's south. Why does Paraguay play such a central role in the regional marijuana trade? More here: bit.ly/3NUNcwB
- 🇪🇨 | A private security company was raided by police in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and two people were arrested and 41 firearms seized. The op shows how criminal groups exploit these companies to hide their operations. Read more about here: bit.ly/4qUMoX1
- 🇧🇷 | Brazil’s President Lula flagged organized crime and AI risks to voters in the 2026 elections. Criminals can bankroll online operations, hire influencers to attack opponents and mislead voters with AI-generated content. Read our coverage: bit.ly/3Iymh7t
- 🇪🇨 | During Ecuador’s Operation Apollo 4 in Guayaquil on January 29, national police arrested at least 20 individuals tied to the Chone Killers, Aguilas, Mafia 18, Tiguerones, and Lagartos. Read our criminal coverage of Ecuador: bit.ly/46nQMFF
- 🇻🇪 🇺🇸 | It's now a month since US forces arrested Nicolás Maduro in Caracas. With an interim administration in Venezuela under Washington's watch, what does the future hold for the guerrilla groups operating in the country? Read more in our analysis: bit.ly/4pRPsSs
- 🇦🇷 | “Pequeño J” will be extradited from Peru to Argentina to face justice for his alleged role in a triple femicide that occurred in September 2025, a crime that shocked the country. More here: bit.ly/4nCLJrI
- 🇨🇴 🇪🇨 | The recent bust of a network trafficking explosives between Ecuador and Colombia shows how criminal networks used borders. But the countries are currently embroiled in a trade war that could threaten their security relationship. Read more: bit.ly/4k6iYCD
- 🇵🇪 | Police in Bolivia arrested an alleged key member of the Pulpos, Keysi Salvatierra, and sent her to Peru where she is wanted for kidnapping. Read InSight Crime’s profile to learn all about the Pulpos: bit.ly/4qSntnh
- 🇻🇪 🇨🇴 | Nicolás Maduro’s arrest has altered the political and criminal balance in Venezuela, leaving groups such as the ELN at a crossroads: retreat to Colombia or adjust to the new landscape? Read more in our latest analysis: bit.ly/4pRPsSs
- 🇧🇷 | Brazil’s President Lula said AI and organized crime could threaten the 2026 elections by shaping public opinion and forging images, audio, and video to create “parallel realities” that mislead voters. Read our coverage to learn more: bit.ly/3Iymh7t
- 🇨🇴 | The Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AGC), the criminal group with the largest presence in Colombia, lost their second-in-command, alias “Gonzalito,” after a boat accident on a river in the north of the country. Read our profile here: bit.ly/3rjdDRF
- #NewAnalysis | Will the US Send Alleged Fuel Smugglers to Mexico?
- 🇨🇷 | With more than 48% of Costa Rica’s presidential vote, Laura Fernández Delgado is next in line to guide the country through its rising organized crime problems. Read more about her plan to address Costa Rica’s growing security concerns: bit.ly/4rktEQK
- 🇪🇨 | Ecuador’s National Police arrested at least 20 people on January 29 in Operation Apollo 4 in Guayaquil. The detainees are allegedly linked to Chone Killers, Aguilas, Mafia 18, Tiguerones, and Lagartos. Read our profile on crime in Ecuador: bit.ly/46nQMFF
- 🇬🇹 | Authorities in Guatemala seized nearly 5 tons of cocaine, about as much as in all of 2023. Seizures have been steadily rising as Guatemala is increasingly used as a transit route. Learn more in our Cocaine Seizure Round-Up: bit.ly/4nCplyW
- 🇧🇷 | The global cocaine expansion of Brazil’s First Capital Command (PCC) has reshaped the gang as well as the São Paulo’s neighborhoods it once controlled. Residents there are now in the incapable hands of smaller, less organized groups. Read more: bit.ly/3Ze6Wh3
- 👉 Cybercriminals are using AI to supercharge their illicit ventures, and street gangs are embracing technology to enhance their old-school frauds. Learn about the 5 AI topics we are monitoring in 2026: bit.ly/4k6eJY2
- 🇻🇪 | Where is the Tren de Aragua? InSight Crime investigated the Venezuelan gang for three years, tracking its expansion to seven countries. Learn more about its presence in Colombia, Peru, Chile, and the United States: bit.ly/3HVGDXT
- 🇦🇷 | Peru plans to extradite alias “Pequeño J” to face justice in Argentina due to his alleged connection to a triple femicide in September 2025, a case that caused widespread outrage in the country. Read more here: bit.ly/4nCLJrI
- 🇸🇻 | El Salvador’s state of emergency has been extended for a 47th time after the government voted to keep it in place through March 2026. Read more about how Nayib Bukele’s government crackdown succeeded in overpowering the MS13 and Barrio 18 street gangs. bit.ly/4d99BgY
- 🇨🇴 🇪🇨 | A network that was trafficking supplies from Ecuador to make explosives was busted in Colombia. Crime on that this border is at the center of a trade war that recently broke out between the two countries. Read more: bit.ly/4k6iYCD
- 🇨🇷 | Laura Fernández Delgado was elected Costa Rica’s next president, winning over 48% of the vote. Her tough stance on organized crime beat out opponents, with security being a top voter issue during the election. Read more on her strategy: bit.ly/4rktEQK
- 🇵🇪 | Bolivian police have arrested an alleged key member of the Peruvian Pulpos criminal gang, Keysi Salvatierra. How did this group grow from small-time robberies in Trujillo to a transnational organization? bit.ly/4qSntnh
- 🇸🇻 | Authorities in El Salvador secured several gang convictions recently as part of a 2023 law that allowed mass trials of alleged gang members in groups of up to 900 and raised the maximum prison sentence for gang leaders from 45 to 60 years. Learn more here. bit.ly/4bum2qc
- 🇨🇴 | The Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AGC) confirmed the death of their second-in-command, alias “Gonzalito.” Authorities identified him as the main coordinator of drug trafficking and illegal mining operations in the north of the country: bit.ly/3rjdDRF
- #NewAnalysis | As Brazil’s PCC Gentrifies, Favela Residents Must Fend for Themselves.
- 🇭🇳 | The trial of Tony Hernández revealed a crucial clue. Key witnesses, including the Cachiros, had secretly recorded politicians and traffickers in a series of videos. One of those recordings would later become central to InSight Crime’s investigation. Read about it here: bit.ly/3LWfoym
