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Convictions Underscore Security Forces' Role in Venezuela Kidnappings
Four soldiers have been convicted of an "express" kidnapping in Venezuela, highlighting the participation of the security forces in the kidnapping boom Venezuela has experienced over the last decade....
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Crime Groups Flooding Guatemala with Illegal Fuel from Mexico
Millions of gallons of illegal petrol are flowing into Guatemala from Mexico each week, part of a highly lucrative regional trade that authorities are struggling to combat. Guatemalan Interior Minister...
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El Salvador Gang Truce: Signs of Life?
Depending on who you ask, the nearly two-year old truce between El Salvador's two largest gangs is either a) collapsed; b) nearly collapsed; c) in transition; d) steady. El Faro media asked Raul...
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Breaking Down the Chain of Illegal Gold in Peru
Two seizures of illegal Peruvian gold have reportedly been traced to a Russian businessman who was part of an exploitative export chain in Peru that reaches all the way to Switzerland. The seizures...
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Street Crime Down As Uruguay's Marijuana Law Becomes Reality
Robberies are down in Uruguay, while murders remained stable, as the government passed a historic marijuana regulation bill likely to draw increased international attention to the country's criminal...
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Guerrilla Oil Pipeline Attacks Surge Amid Colombia's Peace Talks
Attacks by left-wing rebels on Colombia's oil pipelines have increased more than five-fold since 2010, and are up from 2012, amid slow-moving peace talks. According to the Colombian Oil Association...
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Ecuador Jails Swell with Pretrial Detentions, Cocaine Trafficking
The prison population in Ecuador has risen dramatically in the past four years, a phenomenon tied to the overuse of preventive detention, but also likely linked to the country's ever-growing importance...
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Mexico President's Campaign Funds Tied to Suspicious Ring: Reforma
Mexico's Attorney General's Office has newly opened investigations into allegations that President Enrique PeƱa Nieto accepted funds from a possible money laundering and financial fraud network during...
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Study Examines New Front in War on Crime: the Internet
The Igarape Institute explores the emerging use of technology in violence prevention in Latin America, a recent development for citizen security that is growing alongside the region's Internet boom, as...
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Colombia's Police Tighten Noose Around UrabeƱos Leader
Police in Colombia appear to be closing in on the country's most wanted criminal, the military leader of the mighty UrabeƱos, Dario Antonio Usuga, alias "Otoniel." The captures of Arley Usuga Torres,...
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Venezuela Gov't Claims Homicides Down 30%; Really?
Venezuela's interior minister says the 2013 murder rate has fallen around 30 percent since last year, a dubious claim according to NGO counts and given the government's propensity for fudging crime...
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Former Mexico Intelligence Chief Brands El Chapo 'Business Genius'
The former head of Mexico's secret service has branded Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman a "business genius" in a frank interview looking back at security policy during the previous...
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Could 20 Guerrillas Be Causing Havoc for Paraguay's Security Forces?
Notebooks abandoned by EPP guerrillas escaping a botched army ambush reveal some of the group's inner workings and suggests that the rebel fighting force, which the military and police have been unable...
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Ecuador Mass Prison Break Indicative of Overcrowding, Corruption
Fifty-five inmates escaped from an Ecuador prison by rushing the guards at an undermanned gate, evidence of the rapid overcrowding of Ecuador's under-resourced prison system, as well as alleged...
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Colombia Coca Eradication Drops Amid Rebel Actions
Colombia is set to miss its 2013 coca eradication target by a considerable margin, largely due to actions by FARC guerrillas who target spray planes, leave booby traps to kill or maim eradicators, and...
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Messi Latest Soccer Star Embroiled in Drug Trafficking Scandal
The father of Argentina and Barcelona soccer star Lionel Messi is under investigation for laundering drug money, in the latest scandal offering evidence that ties between organized crime and soccer...
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Peru Police Chief Arrested for Role in Mafia Power Play
A police chief in north Peru, lauded for dismantling a major organized crime group, has now been arrested on charges of working with the organization's criminal successors, drawing attention to the...
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Is Ceasefire Breaking Bombing a Message to FARC Leadership?
A ceasefire declared by Colombia's FARC guerrillas has been broken after one day, illustrating the difficulty the rebel leadership has controlling disparate elements and adding weight to concerns over...
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Costa Rica Drug Seizure Shows Colombia Air Bridge Still Alive
A plane has been captured in Costa Rica with over one ton of cocaine originating in Colombia, casting doubt on Colombian claims that drug flights leaving the country have been all but ended. The drug...
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Revelations of Mexico's Knights Templar Indoctrination Manual
A handbook for new members of the Knights Templar reflects the unique space the gang has carved out for itself in Mexico's criminal landscape. The document, a copy of which was obtained by InSight...
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