Analysis /
Mexican Cartels – Venezuela’s Uninvited Guests Here to Stay
Talk of Mexico’s cartels in Venezuela has become commonplace, so much so that one town has been re-baptized after one of the world's most notorious criminal...
Brief /
From Face Masks to Avocados, the Boundless Creativity of Drug Traffickers
Drug traffickers are nothing if not innovative. And faced with increasingly sophisticated techniques for detecting drugs, they have been forced to be increasingly...
Brief /
‘Pategrillo’ – The New Boon for Colombia’s Cocaine Labs
Crude oil siphoned from Colombia's pipelines is increasingly being processed by clandestine refineries that manufacture a low-quality fuel, known as "pategrillo,"...
Brief /
Warnings of Child Recruitment Taking Place Close to Bogotá, Colombia
A new report warning of child recruitment in a municipality bordering Colombia's capital city of Bogotá shows that this issue is a nationwide concern, spreading...
Analysis /
What Does Coronavirus Mean for Criminal Governance in Latin America?
A number of criminal groups across Latin America are ordering ceasefires and exerting control over local communities as fears of the coronavirus sweep across the...
Analysis /
Rastrojos Under Siege at Colombia-Venezuela Border
The Colombian criminal group Los Rastrojos is fighting a two-front war: against ELN guerrillas looking to usurp the group's highly profitable operations along the...
Brief /
Report: Pretrial Detentions Continue to Plague Latin American Prisons
A new US report documents how pretrial detentions continue to overcrowd Latin America’s prison systems, leading to gang recruitment, violence and violations of...
Analysis /
Venezuela President’s Drug Trafficking Exploits Detailed in US Indictment
US prosecutors have charged Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his closest allies with drug trafficking and corruption, cementing the embattled nation's...
Brief /
The Women Who Want to Leave Coca Behind in Colombia’s Putumayo
In Putumayo, as in much of Colombia, female coca growers face a difficult choice: obey armed groups and continue working in illegal economies, or put themselves at...
Brief /
El Salvador’s Black Widows – Female Leadership in MS13
An MS13 linked gang in El Salvador known as the Black Widows has been convicted of forcing women to marry men and then killing their new husbands as part of a...
Analysis /
From Cocalero to Kingpin: New Book Tracks Cocaine Supply Chain
A new book by a veteran reporter provides a comprehensive picture of Colombia’s modern-day cocaine trafficking networks and their devastating impact on the...
Analysis /
Coronavirus Lays Bare Faultlines of Latin American Prisons
Fears of contagion amid the coronavirus pandemic have spurred deadly riots, mass breakouts, and crackdowns in several Latin American prisons, exposing how long-term...