InSight Crime
@insightcrime.org
14 years of research and analysis on organized crime and corruption in Latin America and the Caribbean.
🇻🇪 | Since 2013, Nicolás Maduro has consolidated his power by building a hybrid criminal system that has allowed organized crime to thrive, as long as it serves his interests. Read more in the profile: https://bit.ly/4085xJd
February 15, 2026 at 11:02 PM
🇻🇪 | Since 2013, Nicolás Maduro has consolidated his power by building a hybrid criminal system that has allowed organized crime to thrive, as long as it serves his interests. Read more in the profile: https://bit.ly/4085xJd
👉 From global manhunts to quiet investigations, some of the world’s most-wanted organized crime bosses were taken down in 2025. Here’s our roundup of the year’s biggest cases: https://bit.ly/4a081PJ
February 15, 2026 at 9:02 PM
👉 From global manhunts to quiet investigations, some of the world’s most-wanted organized crime bosses were taken down in 2025. Here’s our roundup of the year’s biggest cases: https://bit.ly/4a081PJ
🇭🇳 | Do you know the story behind the narco video published by InSight Crime in 2024 that rocked Honduras? Read all about it in our criminal thread 🧵
February 15, 2026 at 5:02 PM
🇭🇳 | Do you know the story behind the narco video published by InSight Crime in 2024 that rocked Honduras? Read all about it in our criminal thread 🧵
🇵🇪 | New laws and regulations in Peru seek to reduce extortion, including by punishing those who illegally install the communication systems in prisons that enable these schemes. Can the wave of extortion be contained? https://bit.ly/424ppNW
February 15, 2026 at 12:02 PM
🇵🇪 | New laws and regulations in Peru seek to reduce extortion, including by punishing those who illegally install the communication systems in prisons that enable these schemes. Can the wave of extortion be contained? https://bit.ly/424ppNW
🇨🇴 | While Gustavo Petro’s government seeks to negotiate peace with criminal groups in Colombia, in the southwest of the country, the dissident FARC faction EMC is burying those efforts under bursts of gunfire. Discover InSight Crime’s findings here: https://bit.ly/4kCErDI
February 15, 2026 at 12:31 AM
🇨🇴 | While Gustavo Petro’s government seeks to negotiate peace with criminal groups in Colombia, in the southwest of the country, the dissident FARC faction EMC is burying those efforts under bursts of gunfire. Discover InSight Crime’s findings here: https://bit.ly/4kCErDI
🇻🇪 | Find out what lies ahead for organized crime in Venezuela after Nicolás Maduro’s removal from power at our exclusive donor event on February 27. Get access by donating: https://bit.ly/45Q26dA
February 14, 2026 at 10:01 PM
🇻🇪 | Find out what lies ahead for organized crime in Venezuela after Nicolás Maduro’s removal from power at our exclusive donor event on February 27. Get access by donating: https://bit.ly/45Q26dA
🇨🇴 🇪🇨 | Colombia’s Border Command is a major criminal player in the key border department and coca hotspot, Putumayo. It has also extended its reach into neighboring Ecuador. Read more about the history of the group here: https://bit.ly/4csjXv6
February 14, 2026 at 8:02 PM
🇨🇴 🇪🇨 | Colombia’s Border Command is a major criminal player in the key border department and coca hotspot, Putumayo. It has also extended its reach into neighboring Ecuador. Read more about the history of the group here: https://bit.ly/4csjXv6
🇪🇨 | Ecuadorian authorities arrested high-ranking Choneros member alias "Chuky," who escaped from prison last year. How significant a criminal force are the Choneros? https://bit.ly/3YcI7BR
February 14, 2026 at 4:03 PM
🇪🇨 | Ecuadorian authorities arrested high-ranking Choneros member alias "Chuky," who escaped from prison last year. How significant a criminal force are the Choneros? https://bit.ly/3YcI7BR
🇧🇷 | 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: https://bit.ly/3Ze6Wh3
February 14, 2026 at 2:31 PM
🇧🇷 | 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: https://bit.ly/3Ze6Wh3
#NewAnalysis | Colombia’s EMC Holds ‘Total Peace’ Hostage in Cauca.
Colombia's EMC Holds ‘Total Peace’ Hostage in Cauca
The Central General Staff has come to dominate much of Cauca, Colombia, fighting for control with other criminal groups.
bit.ly
February 14, 2026 at 12:02 AM
#NewAnalysis | Colombia’s EMC Holds ‘Total Peace’ Hostage in Cauca.
🇻🇪 | How did Nicolás Maduro turn Venezuela into a key hub for organized crime? Read our new profile on the former president, who is now in custody in the United States: https://bit.ly/4085xJd
February 13, 2026 at 10:02 PM
🇻🇪 | How did Nicolás Maduro turn Venezuela into a key hub for organized crime? Read our new profile on the former president, who is now in custody in the United States: https://bit.ly/4085xJd
🇵🇪 | Peru is boosting its extortion laws in the hope of tackling growing insecurity. Why have extortion cases surged in Peru? https://bit.ly/424ppNW
February 13, 2026 at 8:30 PM
🇵🇪 | Peru is boosting its extortion laws in the hope of tackling growing insecurity. Why have extortion cases surged in Peru? https://bit.ly/424ppNW
In 2024, we received a Special Citation from the Maria Moors Cabot Prize Jury in recognition of our investigative reporting in the Americas. Nominations for the 2026 Cabot Prize are now open for journalists covering Latin America & the Caribbean: https://bit.ly/4kDexjh
February 13, 2026 at 5:06 PM
In 2024, we received a Special Citation from the Maria Moors Cabot Prize Jury in recognition of our investigative reporting in the Americas. Nominations for the 2026 Cabot Prize are now open for journalists covering Latin America & the Caribbean: https://bit.ly/4kDexjh
🇪🇨 | Guayaquil, Ecuador’s most populous city and one of the world’s busiest cocaine trafficking hubs, saw its mayor arrested for money laundering and tax fraud. Read more about Ecuador’s controversial fight against corruption here: https://bit.ly/3OCVYzq
February 13, 2026 at 3:04 PM
🇪🇨 | Guayaquil, Ecuador’s most populous city and one of the world’s busiest cocaine trafficking hubs, saw its mayor arrested for money laundering and tax fraud. Read more about Ecuador’s controversial fight against corruption here: https://bit.ly/3OCVYzq
The ELN has consolidated its presence in Venezuela’s Táchira state, along the border with Colombia, after years of deep cooperation and complicity with local authorities. How do communities live under its criminal rule? Read here: https://bit.ly/496CN84
February 13, 2026 at 12:31 PM
The ELN has consolidated its presence in Venezuela’s Táchira state, along the border with Colombia, after years of deep cooperation and complicity with local authorities. How do communities live under its criminal rule? Read here: https://bit.ly/496CN84
🇲🇽 | Some reports suggest the US temporarily closed the airspace over part of the US-Mexico border due to a drone linked to Mexico’s organized crime groups. @InSightCrime’s @PJAsmann spoke to @BBCWorld on how these groups use drones on the border.
El Paso airspace closure ordered after drone test shot down balloon - US media
The sudden 10-day closure of El Paso's airspace reportedly followed a spat over drone technology testing by the US military.
bit.ly
February 13, 2026 at 1:02 AM
🇲🇽 | Some reports suggest the US temporarily closed the airspace over part of the US-Mexico border due to a drone linked to Mexico’s organized crime groups. @InSightCrime’s @PJAsmann spoke to @BBCWorld on how these groups use drones on the border.
🇻🇪 | 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: https://bit.ly/45Q26dA
February 13, 2026 at 12:01 AM
🇻🇪 | 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: https://bit.ly/45Q26dA
On #AmazonDay, we highlight the central role organized crime plays in deforesting the world's largest tropical forest. 🧵
February 12, 2026 at 11:02 PM
On #AmazonDay, we highlight the central role organized crime plays in deforesting the world's largest tropical forest. 🧵
🇨🇴 | The defense team for alleged Colombian drug trafficker “Memo Fantasma” requested the replacement of the judge in the case, arguing a lack of impartiality. The proceedings remain stalled after more than five years. Learn more about the case: http://bit.ly/45dcLz8
February 12, 2026 at 10:02 PM
🇨🇴 | The defense team for alleged Colombian drug trafficker “Memo Fantasma” requested the replacement of the judge in the case, arguing a lack of impartiality. The proceedings remain stalled after more than five years. Learn more about the case: http://bit.ly/45dcLz8
🇲🇽 | The bodies of 5 abducted workers from a Canadian mining company in Mexico’s Sinaloa state have been recovered. The Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel has been linked to the horrific crime. Learn more about the group’s internal feud with the Mayiza.
Special Series: The Sinaloa Cartel's Internal War
We chronicle how an internal war split the Sinaloa Cartel between two rival factions, and how it has affected Mexico's crime landscape.
bit.ly
February 12, 2026 at 8:31 PM
🇲🇽 | The bodies of 5 abducted workers from a Canadian mining company in Mexico’s Sinaloa state have been recovered. The Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel has been linked to the horrific crime. Learn more about the group’s internal feud with the Mayiza.
🇨🇱 🇵🇪 | Chilean police arrested 34 alleged members of the Peruvian gang Los Pulpos, an organization that, since its creation in the 1990s, has expanded its presence throughout the region. Read their profile: https://bit.ly/4qSntnh
February 12, 2026 at 7:03 PM
🇨🇱 🇵🇪 | Chilean police arrested 34 alleged members of the Peruvian gang Los Pulpos, an organization that, since its creation in the 1990s, has expanded its presence throughout the region. Read their profile: https://bit.ly/4qSntnh
Another deadly strike in the eastern Pacific marks the 38th since the US began its campaign against vessels suspected of carrying drugs at sea in September 2025. How have these strikes unfolded since then?
Timeline of US Strikes Against Alleged Drug Boats
US deadly strikes against alleged drug-carrying vessels in international waters mark an aggressive escalation in US counternarcotics policy.
bit.ly
February 12, 2026 at 6:02 PM
Another deadly strike in the eastern Pacific marks the 38th since the US began its campaign against vessels suspected of carrying drugs at sea in September 2025. How have these strikes unfolded since then?
👉 We rounded up the top criminal takedowns of 2025, examining how powerful crime figures evaded justice across borders — and how authorities finally caught up with them. Full analysis: https://bit.ly/4a081PJ
February 12, 2026 at 5:03 PM
👉 We rounded up the top criminal takedowns of 2025, examining how powerful crime figures evaded justice across borders — and how authorities finally caught up with them. Full analysis: https://bit.ly/4a081PJ
🇨🇱 | A new report has analyzed the arrival and growth of Chinese crime group Bang de Fujian in Chile. How has the organization replicated the model it used when expanding elsewhere?
Why Chinese Mafias Are Moving Into Chile
A Chinese crime group, the Bang, has made major inroads into Chile, setting up a marijuana empire and smuggling in migrants to work there.
bit.ly
February 12, 2026 at 4:03 PM
🇨🇱 | A new report has analyzed the arrival and growth of Chinese crime group Bang de Fujian in Chile. How has the organization replicated the model it used when expanding elsewhere?
The term “Cartel of the Suns” is often misused, and has distorted how organized crime really operates in Venezuela. What's in a name? Tune in to our event on February 27 to find out. https://bit.ly/45Q26dA
February 12, 2026 at 3:03 PM
The term “Cartel of the Suns” is often misused, and has distorted how organized crime really operates in Venezuela. What's in a name? Tune in to our event on February 27 to find out. https://bit.ly/45Q26dA