Insight Crime

Venezuela Says It is Fighting Organized Crime. Is It? Since the capture and extradition of Nicolás Maduro in early January by United States military forces, Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodríguez has been trying to balance the demands of her US overlords with those of her criminal alliances that have kept her party in power for years.  The job is not easy. While US President Donald Trump has yet to demand democratic elections, his administration has made clear that it expects coop

Jobanis de Jesús Ávila Villadiego, alias ‘Chiquito Malo’ Jobanis de Jesús Ávila Villadiego, alias “Chiquito Malo,” is the commander of the Gulf Clan—also known as the Urabeños or the Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia – AGC) — one of Colombia’s most powerful criminal groups. Ávila took over leadership of the organization following the capture of Dairo Antonio Úsuga, alias “Otoniel,” in October 2021. Chiquito Malo inherited a criminal organiz

Can Guatemala’s New Attorney General Reignite the Anti-Corruption Fight? The appointment of Gabriel Estuardo García Luna as Guatemala’s new attorney general could put the brakes on a period of extreme judicial backsliding, though the top prosecutor inherits a hollowed-out institution that will be difficult to revive. Gabriel Estuardo García Luna, a career judge and university professor, took office on May 17 after a months-long selection process from which he emerged as President Arévalo’s

What Spain’s Record Cocaine Bust Says About the Drug Trade Spanish authorities made the largest cocaine seizure in history in Atlantic waters south of the Canary Islands in early May. More than 30 metric tons of cocaine were aboard the ship the Arconian when it was intercepted after departing from Sierra Leone in West Africa. Authorities also found 42,000 liters of gasoline intended to refuel go-fast boats that would have been used to unload the shipment on the Iberian Peninsula. The incr

On the Radar: Brazil’s Anti-Crime Push, an Arrest in Honduras, and Colombia’s Total Peace Gamble This week in On the Radar, Brazil has a new, multibillion-dollar strategy against organized crime, Honduras arrests a former mayor connected to a murder, and Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro is told no after trying to suspend warrants for Gulf Clan leaders. Transcript What’s in Brazil’s President Lula’s new anti-crime push? How does the arrest of a former Honduran mayor connec

The Shottas The Shottas are one of the leading criminal groups in Colombia’s port city of Buenaventura. The group gained notoriety due to its fierce and violent rivalry with the city’s other principal criminal group, the Spartans (Espartanos). In 2022, both groups agreed to participate in President Gustavo Petro’s “Total Peace” plan, which seeks to establish an “urban peace laboratory” in Buenaventura as part of the greater aim to end the country’s decades-long conflict. In this profile:

How AI Illuminated Tren de Aragua’s Money Laundering Methods Tren de Aragua is currently one of the most infamous criminal organizations in Latin America and one that InSight Crime has covered extensively. Our reporting has traced the group’s evolution, growth, and criminal economies, from its inception as a prison gang to its designation as a foreign terrorist organization, but had not examined its financial systems as closely. We wanted to know more about how various Tren de Aragua faction

Gaitanistas – Gulf Clan The Gaitanistas, also known as the Gulf Clan, Urabeños, and Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia – AGC), emerged from the ashes of Colombia’s paramilitary movement to become the dominant criminal force in Colombia, with national reach.  The Gaitanistas are primarily involved in transnational drug trafficking. The group controls territories where it regulates or directs the coca paste production market and guards sh

Meet the First Costa Ricans to Be Extradited on Drug Charges to the US From alleged narco-politicians to traffickers seeking to dominate the Caribbean coast, several high-profile Costa Rican figures are now facing US justice for their alleged roles in transnational cocaine trafficking networks linked to Colombia and Mexico. Costa Rica’s long-standing image as one of Central America’s most stable democracies is being eroded by the deepening hold of organized crime over the country, a result o

Costa Rica Profile Costa Rica has traditionally been perceived as a bastion of security in crime-ravaged Central America. But recently the country has experienced record levels of violence and drug trafficking, which authorities have attributed to its growing role as a drug transshipment point. Local crime groups are growing ever more sophisticated and resorting to lethal violence to secure control. They now pose a major security threat for the government and are becoming increasingly involv

How Tren de Aragua’s Expansion Sparked Financial Evolution A Tren de Aragua money laundering scheme discovered in Chile highlights how the gang’s transnational expansion has spurred financial evolution. Police arrested 22 individuals accused of laundering at least $4.5 million in profits from drug sales, extortion, and contract killings, the chief prosecutor of Valparaiso’s Criminal Analysis and Investigative Focus Unit (SACFI) announced on April 22. The scheme, based in Valparaiso,

How Influencers Launder Money for Criminal Groups The arrest of several influencers in Brazil shows how social media facilitates money laundering for criminal groups. Brazilian influencer Chrys Dias was arrested by authorities on April 15 as part of Operation “Narco Fluxo.” He is accused of allegedly being part of a money laundering network connected to the First Capital Command (Primeiro Comando da Capital – PCC), Brazil’s largest criminal organization and one of Latin America’s main

On the Radar: More Indictments, Seizures, and Control Strategies This week in On the Radar, the US indicts Sinaloa’s governor for criminal ties, Spain seizes a record cocaine shipment, and the US unveils a new drug strategy focusing on narco-terrorism and trafficking. Transcript Three key pieces of news from this week regarding drug trafficking: The indictment of a governor in Mexico. A historic cocaine seizure in Spain. And what’s in the latest l National Drug

Mapping Out US Alleged Drug Boat Strikes THE LATEST: The US launched a strike in the Caribbean on May 4, 2026, killing two. In April, the US military launched eight strikes, killing 23 people. There have been 56 strikes that have left 188 dead since the strikes began in September 2025. 56 strikes 188 killed Last updated: May 5, 2026 Since they began in September 2025, the US strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific have been marked by their opaci

Ecuador Says Extortion Is Down. The Reality Is More Complicated. It was time for after-school pickup at the San Francisco de Asís elementary school in downtown Guayaquil one recent afternoon when someone slotted pamphlets beneath the windshield wipers of the school’s minibuses. The message was cordial but ominous.  “Greetings from the CJNG Group,” it said, misspelling the word “greetings.” “We want to come to an agreement: 6,000 to 4,500 Are we clear (sic).” At the top of the page, t

The InSight Take: Rubén Rocha Moya’s Alleged Sinaloa Cartel Ties Highlight Criminal Governance in Mexico On April 29, US prosecutors in the Southern District of New York announced an explosive set of charges against Rubén Rocha Moya, the current governor of Mexico’s Sinaloa state, for alleged ties to the Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. Rocha Moya and nine other current and former government officials allegedly facilitate the Chapitos’ criminal activity in exchang

On the Radar: Drug Lords, Dissident Groups, and Airstrikes in Latin America This week in On the Radar: the capture of “El Jardinero” and what it reveals about the future of Mexico’s major drug lords, attacks by FARC dissident groups in Colombia, and the intensification of US airstrikes against suspected drug-trafficking vessels. Transcript Is Mexico running out of drug capos? Are Colombia’s FARC dissidents escalating toward a new phase of coordinated violence as elect

InSight Crime’s 2025 Cocaine Seizure Round-Up Download the map As the United States drags the drug war back in time, traffickers are leaping forward, creating new ways of disguising and moving cocaine while weaving sophisticated global networks to reach new markets.   InSight Crime’s 2025 Cocaine Seizure Round-Up reveals a fast-evolving global market. Roughly half of the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean increased their cocaine seizures. The other half saw them

5 Takeaways from 2025’s Cocaine Seizure Data Amid record production levels, the cocaine business is entering a new age, driven by diversifying markets, global networks, and new technology. Every year, InSight Crime gathers as much data as it can about cocaine seizures and maps them across the globe, looking to determine what patterns they reveal and what, compared with other sources, they can tell us about the global cocaine industry. Coca cultivation and cocaine production continue to rise,

Who Is ‘El Jardinero,’ the CJNG Power Broker Arrested in Mexico? The capture in Mexico of an influential Jalisco Cartel New Generation leader known as El Jardinero marks a major inflection point for the country’s most formidable criminal network just two months after the group’s leader was killed. Mexico’s armed forces arrested Audias Flores Silva, alias “El Jardinero,” in the Pacific coast state of Nayarit on April 27 without having to fire a single shot, according to Mexican security