News Analysis
Proposed Law in Mexico Could Expand Military Role in Drug War
A new law up for debate in Mexico's lower house proposes to expand and regulate the role of the military in the country's decade-long drug war, a red flag to critics of the controversial militarized crackdown against cartels.
Mexico’s Narco Soap Operas Do More Than Just Glorify Drug Trade
The growing backlash against Mexican soap operas revolving around the drug trade and its principal players, known as "narcotelenovelas," is based largely on their perceived harm to the country's social fabric. But this criticism ignores the very social factors that contribute to the growing popularity of narco culture in Mexico. Below, InSight Crime examines the underlying social and political issues that are addressed in two of the country's most popular narcotelenovelas currently on television.
Santos Recognizes Criminal Groups are Moving into FARC Areas
Top officials in Colombia have recognized a phenomenon that has become increasingly apparent to observers of the FARC peace process: criminal groups are taking control of areas abandoned by the guerrillas.
Spike in Juarez Violence Driven by Election, Criminal Vacuum
A recent spike in violence in Juárez has security analysts seeking explanations for the increase and worrying about whether another cartel war can be avoided.
News Briefs
Pope Francis Warns of Increasing Drug Consumption in Argentina
Pope Francis has voiced his concern about the evolution of the illegal drug trade in Argentina, once again calling attention...
Bust of Transnational Drug Ring Follows Honduras Kingpin's Capture
Costa Rican and Honduran authorities busted a transnational drug ring allegedly involving over a dozen police officers from the two...
Guatemala’s CICIG Says More Big Corruption Cases to Come
The commissioner of Guatemala's internationally backed anti-impunity body said that authorities expect to uncover government corruption schemes on the same...
Peace Deal Signed in Colombia as Threat of FARC Fragmentation Looms Large
Colombia's government and rebel group the FARC have signed a revised peace deal, as the two sides race to reduce...
‘Most Wanted’ Peru Drug Trafficker Captured in Dominican Republic
A suspected drug trafficker named earlier this year on Peru’s list of most wanted fugitives has been captured in the...
Mexico Judges Admit to Feeling Intimidated by Criminal Groups
Judges in Mexico have opened up about the intimidation they face from criminal groups, illustrating the importance of protective measures...
Investigations
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The FARC 1964-2002: From Ragged Rebellion to Military Machine
On May 27, 1964 up to one thousand Colombian soldiers, backed by fighter planes and helicopters, launched an assault against less than fifty guerrillas in the tiny community of Marquetalia. The aim of the operation was to stamp out once and for all the communist threat in...
The FARC 2002-Present: Decapitation and Rebirth
In August 2002, the guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) greeted Colombia's new president with a mortar attack that killed 14 people during his inauguration. The attack was intended as a warning to the fiercely anti-FARC newcomer. But it became the opening salvo of...
MS-13's 'El Barney': A Trend or an Isolated Case?
In October 2012, the US Treasury Department designated the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) as a transnational criminal organization (TCO). While this assertion seems unfounded, there is one case that illustrates just why the US government is worried about the future.
Barrio 18 Leader 'Viejo Lin' on El Salvador Gang Truce
Barrio 18 leader Carlos Lechuga Mojica, alias "El Viejo Lin," is one of the most prominent spokesmen for El Salvador's gang truce. InSight Crime co-director Steven Dudley spoke with Mojica in Cojutepeque prison in October 2012 about how the maras view the controversial peace process, which has...
Criminalization of FARC Elements Inevitable
While there is no doubt that the FARC have only a tenuous control over some of their more remote fronts, there is no evidence of any overt dissident faction within the movement at the moment.
El Salvador's Gang Truce: Positives and Negatives
The truce between El Salvador's two largest gangs -- the MS-13 and Barrio 18 -- opens up new possibilities in how to deal with the seemingly intractable issue of street gangs. But it also creates new dangers.
The Reality of the FARC Peace Talks in Havana
If we are to believe the Colombian government, the question is not if, but rather when, an end to 50 years of civil conflict will be reached. Yet the promise of President Juan Manuel Santos that peace can be achieved before the end of 2014 is simply...
Ivan Rios Bloc: the FARC's Most Vulnerable Fighting Division
When considering the possibilities that the FARC may break apart, the Ivan Rios Bloc is a helpful case study because it is perhaps the weakest of the FARC's divisions in terms of command and control, and therefore runs the highest risk of fragmentation and criminalization.
A Look Inside El Salvador's Prison Nightmare (Video)
El Salvador's Cojutepeque jail is a perfect illustration of how prisons in this country have become the main breeding and training grounds for street gangs.
The FARC and the Drug Trade: Siamese Twins?
The FARC have always had a love-hate relationship with drugs. They love the money it brings, funds which have allowed them to survive and even threaten to topple the state at the end of the 1990s. They hate the corruption and stigma narcotics have also brought to...
