Brief /
Wealthy Fishermen Ran Major Drug Trafficking Rings in Costa Rica
Drug smuggling fishermen in Costa Rica owned large private properties and luxury vehicles -- riches gained from leading “transportista" groups, which are becoming...
Analysis /
The Increasing Dangers Facing Latin America’s Park Rangers
A park ranger’s shooting in Costa Rica and the slaying of another in a Colombian reserve show the dangers rangers face in protected areas -- as diverse in flora...
Brief /
Los Moreco, Worrying New Type of Criminal Group for Costa Rica
A new criminal group in Costa Rica, Los Moreco, is causing concern as their tactics, reach and admiration for Mexico's Zetas make them a far more powerful gang than...
Analysis /
Costa Rica Sees Growing Demand for Ketamine, Synthetic Drugs
A bumper seizure of ketamine bottles in Costa Rica shows evidence that the Central American Country is seeing growth and diversification of its internal synthetic...
Independent Criminal Groups
The variety of extortionists in Central America speaks to the ease with which opportunists can set up their own schemes. Independent actors have taken advantage of...
Loan Sharking Grows in Costa Rica by Piggybacking on Drug Trafficking
Costa Rica’s economic crisis and its strategic position along drug trafficking routes have created the perfect storm for a new type of extortion to take root:...
Extortion Explainer 3: The Modus Operandi
A cheap phone and a few dollars’ worth of prepaid credit serve as the rudimentary tools of extortionists in Northern Triangle countries. Here are some of the most...
Analysis /
Costa Rica’s Port of Limón Feeds European Cocaine Pipeline
A remote port along the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica has long seen shipments of bananas and pineapples conceal another product: cocaine. Now that the Moín port,...
Analysis /
GameChangers 2018: The Year Crime Became an Ideology
Welcome to InSight Crime’s Criminal GameChangers 2018, where we highlight the most important trends in organized crime in the Americas over the course of the...