Weekly InSight
This week, InSight Crime analyzes how Honduras' state of exception, implemented in December 2022, has made few advances against organized crime. Authorities have detained more than 16,000 people, yet there has been no significant decrease in criminal activity.

In Venezuela, we investigate how grenade attacks have become a common tactic used by criminal groups.

We also examine a new study revealing the changing tactics used by armed groups in Colombia to recruit minors, especially the National Liberation Army (ELN), Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AGC), and the ex-FARC mafia.

In Mexico, we examine how clashes between the Sinaloa Cartel and the CJNG over drug trafficking and migrant smuggling routes from Guatemala have displaced thousands across the state of Chiapas.  

And in Europe, we probe how one of Sweden’s main ports may be a new gateway for Latin American cocaine headed to Europe.  

Featured

Honduras Makes Few Advances Against Crime During 6-Month State of Exception

The state of exception in Honduras has now been in place for six months. But contrary to government claims and National Police figures, the policy has done little to reduce criminal activity in the country.

President Xiomara Castro first implemented the state of exception in December 2022 and has since extended it twice. It will last until at least July 5. The policy aims to decrease crimes like extortion, dismantle criminal groups, reduce gang violence, and lessen insecurity facing many Hondurans.

Read the analysis >

How Grenades Became a Common Part of Venezuela's Criminal Arsenal

Grenades like those usually seen on battlefields have become common weapons in Venezuela's underworld, where criminal groups regularly use them in a wide range of illegal activities.

At least six grenade attacks have been reported so far in 2023, most recently on May 7, when eight people were injured in an explosion at a pool hall in Pedro María Ureña, a town in the border state of Táchira. Each of the six attacks took place in a different state, showcasing the widespread nature of this problem.

Read the analysis >

NewsAnalysis

3 Takeaways From UNICEF Report on Child Recruitment in Colombia


A new study has revealed how Colombia’s armed groups have changed tactics around child recruitment...

Chiapas Bleeds as CJNG, Sinaloa Cartel Fight for Guatemala Trafficking Routes

Thousands of people have been displaced and others killed in Mexico’s southern state of Chiapas...

Cocaine Seizures Spike in Sweden as Traffickers Seek Secondary Routes


Historic cocaine seizures in Sweden in recent months highlight the Nordic country's increasing role as a gateway for cocaine from Latin...

Impact

InSight Crime Presents at UNODC Conference

 
This week, InSight Crime director Steven Dudley and deputy editor Juan Diego Posada presented at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) forum “Cocaine in the Americas in 2023: Evidence, Hypothesis and Responses.”

Read our coverage of Cocaine >

Our coverage of La Pista, an abandoned airport turned refugee settlement in the middle of Colombia's Guajira desert, was cited by Peruvian outlet La República and Venezuelan outlet La Patilla.

Read the article here >

And our coverage of Ecuador continues to gather widespread interest from media outlets across the globe, such as La Jornada in Mexico, La Tercera in Chile, and Nós Diario in Spain.

Read our coverage of Ecuador here >

Criminal Actors

Profiles of some of the notable criminal personalities and groups that have marked this week.

Browse by country >

National Liberation Army

The ELN is Colombia's last true insurgency and one of Latin America's most powerful criminal...

Barrio 18

The 18th Street Gang, also known as Barrio 18, is one of the largest youth gangs in the Western Hemisphere, much like its...

Media Mentions

JUNE 2, 2023
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InSight Crime · Medellin · Medellin 0000 · Colombia