Honduras' government replaced the country's police chief after it emerged an imprisoned ex-officer could be linked to the recent murder of a journalist. However, the move will likely do little to combat the rampant corruption within the police force.
Haitian authorities arrested some 59 people, including two US citizens, after a march calling for the reinstatement of the military turned violent, raising doubts over whether an army backed by these groups would be the best choice to combat organized crime in the country.
Guatemalan authorities detained five police officers, four of them from the anti-drugs force, and five government prosecutors accused of being part of a ring that smuggled chemicals into the country to produce synthetic drugs.
Bogota's police chief has backed down from his assertion that the FARC were behind the May 15 bomb attack on ex-Minister Fernando Londoño, but warned the rebels are seeking to increase their presence in Colombia's capital.
While the Marxist rebels the FARC appear to be the most likely culprits behind the May 15 assassination attempt on Colombia's former Interior and Justice Minister, Colombia's far-right arguably also had good reason to mastermind such an attack.
A suspect plane carrying over $4 million in cash crashed in northwest Ecuador, killing two Mexican citizens on board, in an indication of the importance of the country as a drug transhipment point and money laundering location.
A report on child recruitment by Colombia's criminal groups draws attention to the prevalence of the tactic across the region, as gangs exploit a low-cost, low-risk, and highly expendable source of manpower.
Guatemala announced it will deploy nearly 300 members of special operations force the Kaibiles to its northern border with Mexico, even though the unit has a troubled history of ties to the Zetas.
Security forces captured an alleged leader of the FARC's 48th Front in northern Ecuador, an area that has long been a key center of logistics for the rebels' Southern Bloc.
Mexican criminal organizations like the Zetas and Gulf Cartel may be charging mines up to $37,000 a month in "security" fees, a practice more commonly seen in Colombia.
