*Summer InSights

We traveled over 300 kilometers through a trio of nature reserves to document how illegal loggers have ravaged some of the region’s most biodiverse forests and to chronicle the unlikely story of a small group of park rangers fighting back. This investigation, which used video and other multimedia elements to explain this complex criminal economy, is our most in-depth exploration of environmental crime yet.

We went to the Colombian town of Tibú on the border with Venezuela to investigate one of the worst waves of violence ever seen in the area. Women were being targeted with threats and violence, possibly due to suspicions they had been recuited as police informants. This investigation is exemplary of our reporting on gender and organized crime as well as our coverage of Colombian armed groups like the ELN and the ex-FARC mafia.  

Through the story of Desafío, a boy who grew up on the streets of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, we delve into the internal workings that make Barrio 18 tick, the constant state of paranoia that its members are kept under, and the brutal response to anyone who dares to dream of a different life. This invesigation adds depth to our extensive coverage of gangs and prisons.  

Next week, for our final special:

  • We examine Colombian community leaders’ efforts to promote peace building programs despite threats and attacks from drug traffickers. 

  • We explore the haunting experiences of a cartel bodyguard in Mexico who gets caught up in a narco-war. 

  • And we delve deep into drug trade corruption in the Dominican Republic amid the country’s moves to uproot illicit networks. 

Learn more about our most recent investigations and the most prominent criminal dynamics in the region in our explainer videos.

We go into the field to interview, report and investigate. We then verify, write and edit, providing the tools to generate real impact in fighting organized crime. Support our work.

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