Brief /
Relatives of Jailed PCC Members Launder Millions For Brazil Gang
Brazilian prison gang the PCC has laundered an estimated $15 million of drug money through accounts opened by relatives of jailed members, demonstrating the growing...
Brief /
Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro Approves Controversial ‘Faceless Courts’
Authorities in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro have created a special court of “faceless judges” to prosecute cases involving drug trafficking, organized crime and...
Brief /
Illegal Cigarettes Increasing Presence in Brazil and Southern Cone
Argentina, Chile and Brazil are struggling with increased demand for smuggled cigarettes, as these provide major revenue for criminal groups and result in massive...
Brief /
Deadly Riot Shows Paraguay Prisons Unprepared for PCC Onslaught
Ten inmates in a Paraguay prison were killed by PCC gang members, in a brutal assault that makes clear that the small country’s penitentiary system...
Brief /
Homemade Gun Factories Sell Cheap Weapons to Brazil Criminals
Despite the loosening of gun ownership laws in Brazil, the country is seeing a boom in illegal gun factories, with homemade weapons taking up a...
Brief /
Brazil Prisons Become Battlegrounds for Familia do Norte Civil War
A turf war among the founders of Familia do Norte, northern Brazil’s most powerful crime group, has left dozens of prisoners dead and will have major implications...
Analysis /
Copa America Beefs Up Security in Brazil To Prevent Soccer Gang Violence
With the Copa America soccer tournament nearing kickoff, authorities in Brazil have employed a number of tactics to ensure infamous fan-run gangs don’t spoil it....
Brief /
Brazil’s New Gun Laws Risk Raising Body Count
On May 7, Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro signed a decree relaxing gun ownership laws, raising fears that it will worsen violence in the country. The decree is...
Brief /
Latin America Lacks Regional Strategy to Halt Bitcoin Money Laundering
Despite a steep drop in their overall value over the last 18 months and a raft of interdictions by Latin American countries, cryptocurrencies continue to offer a...
