Politicians in Argentina have demanded that prosecutors investigate claims there is a drug trafficking "free zone" in a province near the Triple Frontier, a well-known hub for organized crime.

Statistics show that for the first time since 2009, homicides have begun to climb at a steady pace in Guatemala, raising the question of what could be behind the rise in killings.

Mexican and US authorities believe they have identified six Mexico states where Sinaloa Cartel head Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is usually based, raising further questions as to why to the elusive kingpin has proven so difficult to catch.

The Sinaloa Cartel has built up an extensive international network while other Mexican drug trafficking organizations have been vulnerable to infighting and fragmentation. Analyst Samuel Logan explores how the Sinaloans built up their network in the US and beyond. 

US authorities planned Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's capture during Mexico's previous administration, according to a respected Mexican news source, but Mexican armed forces blocked the operation, indicating government complicity in the elusive Sinaloa Cartel leader's repeated escapes.

Reports from Ecuador highlight the size of its domestic drug market, although the country's biggest challenge may lie in the amount of narcotics moving through for international markets -- largely controlled by foreign groups like Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel.

The Gulf Cartel has reportedly driven rival organization the Zetas out of the state of Quintana Roo and tourist hotspot Cancun, potentially leaving the resurgent cartel with control of a popular trafficking route along Mexico's Caribbean coastline.

Colombian and Ecuadorian authorities captured one of Ecuador's most wanted criminals and an alleged ally of the Sinaloa Cartel in Cali, Colombia, where he and his gang were reportedly trying to join up with criminal groups in the area and establish Colombia-Ecuador trafficking routes.

In one indication that the Sinaloa Cartel may be wary of attracting federal government attention back to Tijuana, one of the cartel's top leaders reportedly told other criminal bosses to keep homicide levels low in Baja California state. The message seems to fit a pattern in which there may be a move towards a more peaceful coexistence in some traditionally critical hotspots.

The US Treasury has added an aspiring congressman in Honduras to its "Kingpin" list in what is likely an attempt to increase the pressure not only on his criminal organization but also the Honduran authorities.