Is Mexico’s Family-Focused Counternarcotics Strategy Working? With the arrest of a top cartel leader’s brother, Mexican authorities are again resorting to an often ineffective strategy of targeting family members to weaken major drug trafficking organizations. The Mexican military arrested Abraham Oseguera on April 22 in Autlán de Navarro, Jalisco, on suspicion of money laundering and drug trafficking, according to Mexico’s Defense Ministry (Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional – SEDENA). Oseguera is the brother of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho,” the leader of the Jalisco Cartel N ..read more

100 Days In, Guatemala President Locks Horns with Corruption and Crime Bernardo Arévalo rode a wave of discontent over corruption to become Guatemala’s president. But 100 days into his government, the new president’s anti-graft drive is being outpaced by an energetic campaign against extortion and drug trafficking. Arévalo, who took office in January, has said his government “will not tolerate corruption.” But his administration has yet to announce a comprehensive plan for dealing with graft. Some campaign promises – such as the creation of new anti-corruption bodies, an anti-bribery police ..read more

Ecuadorians Back President’s Security Agenda But Challenges Await Ecuadorians delivered an overwhelming show of support for President Daniel Noboa’s hardline security policies in a referendum held as the government’s popular “war on gangs” enters a challenging new phase. The vote, held on April 21, was largely seen as a popularity test for Noboa’s agenda so far. Noboa became president in late 2023 amid unprecedented violence and has since used emergency powers to stage a militarized crackdown on Ecuador’s criminal gangs. Polls suggest most Ecuadorians support the president’s campaign.  T ..read more

After Sanctions, Will Ecuador Put a Stop to Shark-Fin Trafficking? Authorities in Ecuador are contemplating a response to an international sanction of its shark trade, which could be the first step in a challenging battle to derail shark-fin trafficking in the country. Ecuador’s Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade, Investments and Fisheries (Ministerio de Producción de Ecuador – MPCEIP) has held meetings in recent days with fishing authorities and other governmental bodies to formulate a response to a notification issued in March by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Specie ..read more

Brazil’s PCC Wades into Municipal Contracts Game A spate of arrests targeting politicians with gang links in the Brazilian state of São Paulo illustrates the ongoing evolution of the country’s largest criminal network.  In a series of raids on April 16, Brazilian authorities captured three city councilors – Ricardo Queixão of Cubatão, Flávio Batista de Souza of Vasconcelos, and Luiz Carlos Alves Dias of Santa Isabel –  in addition to 10 others on suspicion of defrauding bids for municipal contracts in favor of the First Capital Command (Primeiro Comando da Capital – PCC), Brazil’s l ..read more

How Criminal Elites in Ecuador Twist Legal Norms to Skirt Justice Ecuador’s judiciary is struggling to stop well-connected criminals from turning legal safeguards meant to protect civil rights into loopholes for escaping justice.  In early April, Ecuadorian prosecutors ordered the arrest of 14 judges, lawyers, judicial officials, and police accused of colluding with high-level criminals to secure their release and procure “impunity through legal tricks and abuse of the law,” according to the Attorney General’s Office.   The scandal started back in December 2023 with the arrest ..read more

In Zulia, Venezuela, Not Even Schools Escape Extortion A threatening pamphlet sent to residents of a fishing village in the state of Zulia, Venezuela, marked a turning point for the local criminal landscape. The threat was not directed at traders, shrimp farmers, and cattle ranchers – usually preyed on by criminal gangs operating in the region. This time, in the municipality of La Cañada de Urdaneta, private schools were in the firing line. “Good afternoon to the mothers of La Cañada de Urdaneta. Do not send your children to school until we give the order. Otherwise, they’ll all be crying,” r ..read more

DataInSights: Is Chile Losing Control of its Prisons? Chilean authorities appear to be losing control of the country’s prisons, as growing overcrowding tempts criminals into challenging security measures behind bars. After years of steady decline, Chile’s prison population has increased for 25 consecutive months, according to figures from the Chilean Gendarmerie (Gendarmería de Chile), the country’s prison authority. “We now have 54,000 prisoners. It’s an explosive increase in a very short space of time,” said Chile’s justice minister, Luis Cordero Vega, in an interview late last year.  ..read more

Flood of Cocaine Spreads Beyond Europe’s Cities, Wastewater Shows A wastewater analysis has indicated that in Europe, cocaine from South America is now being consumed in smaller towns, as well as major urban areas. The report, published on March 20 by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), is the institution’s latest annual overview of drug residues used to estimate cocaine consumption across participant cities in Europe. This year, the report analyzed results from approximately 90 cities and towns, though several major cities, including London, Madrid, and Berl ..read more

InSight Crime Leads Analysis of Global Cocaine Market This week, InSight Crime’s Co-Founder, Jeremy McDermott spoke to German broadcaster Deutsche Welle to highlight Europe’s growing role in the cocaine trade. InSight Crime’s global network of analysts allows the organization to offer leading analysis of illicit markets and criminal groups.  The quantities of cocaine shipped to Europe are booming. Last year, authorities in Belgium seized 116 tons of cocaine at the Port of Antwerp alone. What’s more, wholesale cocaine prices in Europe can reach $40,000 per kilogram, almost double the pric ..read more