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Peru's 'Mining Mafia' Seek To Legalize Their Operations
Peruvian "mafias" with extensive illegal mining interests are seeking to formalize those operations, according to the government, drawing attention to the fine line between informal and illegal mining....
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Gangs Gain Most from El Salvador Truce: Opinion Poll
Nearly half of Salvadorans believe the "maras" benefit most from the country's gang truce, according to an opinion poll, which could spell political trouble for the pact as presidential elections are...
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Purge, Arrest, Investigation Highlight Corruption in Dominican Republic
Authorities in the Dominican Republic have arrested an ex-soldier on drugs charges, forcibly retired 68 police officers for misconduct, and re-opened a money laundering investigation into a former...
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LatAm Drug Traffickers Set Up in Guinea-Bissau, Expand in Africa
A recent study has shed light on the links between Latin American organized crime and West Africa, showing how drug trafficking has corrupted the state of Guinea-Bissau and is now spreading through the...
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Venezuela Plans to Double Size of Civilian Militias
Venezuela's president wants to more than double the number of civilians involved in armed militias, a move with serious political and possibly criminal implications for the deeply polarized country....
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Colombia Strikes Coca Substitution Deal with Protesters
Colombia's government and protesting coca farmers have reached an initial agreement that could provide a starting point for crop substitution measures being discussed in peace talks with the FARC, but...
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Diego Rastrojo Extradited from Colombia: The End of the Rastrojos?
The extradition to the United States of the founder of the Rastrojos, at one time Colombia's most powerful criminal syndicate, signals the end of the group and the triumph of their rivals, the...
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US to Boost Anti-Drug Infrastructure in Honduras
The United States is to invest in new drug interdiction infrastructure in Honduras as authorities try to get a grip on the runaway drug trafficking that has helped turn Honduras into one of the world's...
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Ecuador Makes 2nd 4 Ton Cocaine Seizure in Fortnight
Authorities in Ecuador have made the second four ton cocaine seizure in two weeks in Guayaquil, highlighting the importance of the port city to international drug trafficking and raising questions over...
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Mexico Govt Claims Murders Down, but Kidnappings Still Rising
As debate continues over claims by Mexico's president that his security policies are behind a drop in violence, statistics showing rapid growth in the number of kidnappings stand as a reminder of the...
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Were the 'Tepito 12' Victims of Organized Crime in Mexico City?
The identification of the bodies of 12 young people abducted three months ago from a bar just a few blocks from police headquarters in Mexico City has set many in the capital on edge, who fear the...
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Maduro Launches Civil-Military Force on Venezuela Border
Venezuela has officially inaugurated a civil-military Joint Task Force to combat smuggling and drug trafficking along the Colombian border, although it remains unclear how effective such a scheme can...
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Colombian Investigator to Head CICIG in Guatemala
The new head of the UN anti-impunity investigations unit in Guatemala is likely to be a Colombian veteran of paramilitary investigations, who will face stiff challenges amid continuing political...
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Captured Sinaloa Cartel Henchman 'Responsible for 350 Murders'
Police in Mexico have captured the alleged head of Sinaloa Cartel operations in Chihuahua, who is closely linked to cartel leader "El Chapo" Guzman, and is believed to be responsible for at least 350...
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Armed Men Entering Nicaragua from Honduras for Illegal Logging
Armed men near the Pacific coast are apparently crossing into Nicaragua from Honduras to illegally log, highlighting the vulnerability of the country’s dwindling rainforests to criminal groups....
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Southern Pulse: The Politics of Corruption in Guatemala
Southern Pulse has released a new investigation into corruption in Guatemalan politics, which examines the connections between politics and drug cartels, influence peddling and embezzlement. The report...
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‘Camarada Olga’ New Military Leader of Peru’s Shining Path
“Camarada Olga” is apparently the new military commander of the Shining Path guerrillas, the first woman to hold the post, amid questions on the military capacity of the last faction of the Peruvian...
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Suriname President's Son Captured On Drug Trafficking Charges
The arrest of the son of Suriname's president, on drugs and weapons trafficking charges, complements his father's criminal past and reinforces the links between crime and politics in this former Dutch...
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'Biggest Caribbean drug lab' busted in Dominican Republic
Authorities in the Dominican Republic have discovered a drug lab described as the largest ever found in the Caribbean, supporting suggestions that the Caribbean is increasing in importance again for...
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Alleged Juarez Cartel Leader Arrested in Mexico
Police in Mexico have arrested the alleged leader of the Juarez Cartel, who is also the brother of the cartel's late founder, raising the question of what will happen to the already battered...
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