** Weekly InSight
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September 8, 2023

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This week, InSight Crime analyzes how Ecuador’s police, army, and prison system must confront underfunding and corruption ([link removed]) amid an escalating security crisis. The two candidates participating in the runoff of presidential elections, Luisa González and Daniel Noboa, have rejected mano dura policies, but a failure to bring the country’s security problems under control could spur calls for a harsher approach.

We also investigate an increase in money laundering cases ([link removed]) tied to drug trafficking in Uruguay, where a lack of investments in prevention, detection, and prosecution of financial crimes have left the country particularly vulnerable to this crime.

In Colombia, we explore the renewed negotiations ([link removed]) between the government and the ex-FARC mafia’s Central General Staff ([link removed]) (Estado Mayor Central – EMC). Peace talks may have little chance of reducing violence, since a ceasefire with the government does not mean any halt to confrontations among criminal groups.


** Featured
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** Are Ecuador’s Army, Police, and Prisons Beyond Reform? ([link removed])
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The state of Ecuador’s security institutions and their inability to halt runaway criminal violence has been a central theme of the country’s ongoing presidential campaign. But facing underfunding and corruption, there are doubts about whether substantial reforms are possible.

Since outgoing President Guillermo Lasso took office in 2021, violence has risen by over 300%, by far the most significant increase in Latin America. As violence has accelerated, Lasso has begun relying on the army to confront criminal gangs, with little success to date.

Read the article here > ([link removed])


** NewsAnalysis
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All News > ([link removed])
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** Is Northeast Cartel Expansion Driving Killings of Police in Nuevo León, Mexico? ([link removed])
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Killings of police officers in Mexico’s northern state of Nuevo León have…
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** Tren de Aragua Brand Spurs Criminal Imposters Outside Venezuela ([link removed])
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A string of arrests across the Andes has targeted extortionists posing as members of the Tren de Aragua…
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** Venezuelan Extortion Gangs Exploiting Instagram to Amplify Threats ([link removed])
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Venezuelan extortion gangs are increasingly moving beyond…
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** Colombia Restarts Peace Talks With Ex-FARC Mafia, but Violence Persists ([link removed])
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The Colombian government and a leading faction of the ex-FARC mafia have begun a new round of…
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** 3 Obstacles to Uruguay's Fight Against Money Laundering ([link removed])
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Money laundering cases tied to drug trafficking in Uruguay have almost doubled in the past five…
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** Security Force Corruption Scandal Rocks Brazil’s Biggest Amazon State ([link removed])
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Senior security officials in Brazil's northern state of Amazonas have been dismissed in a growing…


** Impact
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What We Do > ([link removed])
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Investigators Victoria Dittmar and María Fernanda Ramírez discussed ([link removed]) InSight Crime’s recent investigation of a massacre in Honduras’ only women’s prison in a Twitter Spaces event on September 4. The investigators explained how InSight Crime was granted unprecedented access to the prison prior to the June massacre that left at least 46 inmates dead, and how we incorporated a gender perspective into our exploration of growing tensions between the Barrio 18 ([link removed]) and MS13 ([link removed]) gangs.

Listen to the discussion > ([link removed])

Read the investigation here > ([link removed])


** This Week's Criminal Profile: Ex FARC Mafia - EMC
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The Central General Staff (Estado Mayor Central - EMC) is one of the two main factions, along with Second Marquetalia ([link removed]) , of the Ex-FARC Mafia ([link removed]) : a series of criminal structures that emerged during and after peace negotiations between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – FARC) guerrillas in 2016.

EMC controls various criminal operations, in particular related to drug trafficking, in the central, southern, eastern, and western regions of Colombia. They are also present in Venezuela.
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Read our EMC profile > ([link removed])
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Read “Guerrilla Resurrection: Shifts in Power Among Colombia's Ex-FARC Mafia”> ([link removed])


** Media Mentions
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About Us > ([link removed])

September 1, 2023

OCCRP ([link removed])
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"According to InSight Crime, Mexican organized criminal groups such as the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco Cartel - New Generation (CJNG) are also involved in this illicit business. ‘First, extortion fees are demanded from illegal and legal fishermen alike. Once the cartel establishes greater control over a specific community, they demand that all catch be sold to them, at a price of their choosing,’ the outlet said."

Read our coverage on Illegal Fishing > ([link removed])


** Coming Soon
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*Please note that this event will be conducted in Spanish.


** Our Trending Topics
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SECURITY POLICY ([link removed])
MONEY LAUNDERING ([link removed])
ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME ([link removed])
ECUADOR ([link removed])

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