Brief /
Bolivia Rivers Become Increasingly Popular Drug Trafficking Routes
Drug trafficking routes are starting to appear along rivers and canals in Bolivia, threatening to complicate efforts to stop the flow of cocaine to international...
Analysis /
3 Unexplored Criminal Challenges Awaiting President Joe Biden
President Joe Biden’s policy documents on Latin America tread familiar ground. But the region contains a range of other security and criminal threats that are of...
Brief /
Trump Leaves Biden Corruption Problem at Mexico Border Wall
Former President Donald Trump's border wall project has developed a spotty record of attracting organized crime to its many construction sites, leaving the...
Analysis /
No Time to Wait: Biden’s Security Challenges in Central America
Given the challenges of a deadly pandemic, President Joe Biden could be forgiven for not having Central America’s security at the top of his agenda on day one, or...
Analysis /
MS13 Prison Releases Reinforce Potential Pact with El Salvador
Though he did not have any apparent health problems, a top MS13 leader was transferred from a prison to a hospital in El Salvador -- a move approved by the prison...
Brief /
New Criminal Alliance Fending Off ELN at Colombia-Venezuela Border
A new alliance between two of Colombia's main criminal groups is seeking to contest the ELN's control of lucrative criminal economies along the border with...
Brief /
Pandemic Aid Money Fuels Brazil’s Bank Robberies
Authorities in Brazil have dismantled a criminal organization specialized in the cloning of debit cards to steal emergency aid and other relief funds, highlighting...
Analysis /
Mafia to Terrorists: How US Prosecutors Have Bent the Law to Fight MS13
The recent decision by the US government to charge MS13’s top leaders in El Salvador with terrorism is either a sign of how little they understand the gang or a...
Analysis /
Liquid Gold – False COVID-19 Vaccines Emerge in Latin America
In 2021, the COVID-19 vaccine is liquid gold. As governments begin to roll out inoculation programs, criminal groups are taking advantage of the anxious interim,...
Analysis /
6 Reasons Why the US Charged MS13 Leaders with Terrorism
The US government’s terrorism case against the MS13 opens a new frontier in fighting international street...
Analysis /
Mexico Clears Ex-Defense Minister, Accuses US of ‘Fabricating’ Drug Charges
Authorities in Mexico said they will not pursue criminal charges against a former defense minister who US prosecutors accused of colluding with organized crime...
Analysis /
Human Smuggling Thrives Between Costa Rica and Nicaragua
Recent interceptions linked to the illicit smuggling of migrants at Nicaragua’s border with Costa Rica have illustrated the extent to which clandestine groups and...