Rastrojos News
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...
Rastrojos Profile
Rastrojos
The Rastrojos were born out of the powerful Norte del Valle drug cartel and rose to become one of the most powerful transnational criminal syndicates in Colombia, until their top leadership surrendered or was captured in...
More Rastrojos News
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...
Analysis /
Why did Juan Guaidó Take Photos With Criminals at the Colombia Border?
Controversial photos showing Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó posing with the heads of a Colombian paramilitary group, who allegedly helped Guaidó cross...
Analysis /
Massacre on Colombia-Venezuela Border Reveals Rastrojos Civil War
A massacre on the Colombia-Venezuela border has been attributed to warring factions of the Rastrojos gang, revealing a bloody leadership dispute that threatens to...
Analysis /
‘La Línea’ Gang Takes Deadly Hold on Colombia-Venezuela Border
A violent criminal gang known as "La Línea" has triggered several deadly shootouts in battles with other armed groups seeking to control remote trails near the...
Analysis /
EPL, Rastrojos Behind Rising Violence in Venezuela Border State of Táchira
A recent shootout at the main border crossing between Colombia and Venezuela and the killing of five people in another Venezuelan frontier town shows that clashes...
Analysis /
GameChangers 2018: Venezuelan Migration a New Gold Mine for Organized Crime
Turbulence reigned in 2018, but there was one constant: the flow of Venezuelans fleeing their country. The unceasing migration has left thousands of people...
Women, Youth Primed for Gang Recruitment in Venezuela
A new report from a Venezuela non-governmental organization working on migration issues shows that Colombia's criminal groups have been recruiting Venezuelans into...
Brief /
Rastrojos Demonstrate Power with Attack on Venezuela Military Base
A recent attack by Colombian criminal group, Los Rastrojos, on a military base in Venezuela confirms that the group is gathering strength in the country and will...
Colombia /
The Colombian Mafia
The mafia in Colombia today is comprised of a maelstrom of localized groups, shadowy power brokers and sub-contracted labor that combine to bring order to the...