** Weekly InSight
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October 6, 2023

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This week, InSight Crime investigates ([link removed]) the transnational expansion of Venezuelan’s prison gang Tren de Aragua, which was able to spread across into other South American nations by following and exploiting millions of Venezuelan migrants. After the seizure of Tocóron prison, the gang’s home base and stronghold, the criminal group must adapt or decline.

We also explore the overlooked human smuggling ([link removed]) routes through the Dutch Caribbean. On the islands of Curaçao and Aruba undocumented migrants, especially Venezuelans, are at risk of sex and labor trafficking.

In Colombia, we analyze the newly launched investigation of the transitional justice body, which studies how sexual and gender-based violence ([link removed]) had been weaponized during the long-running civil conflict. Armed groups continue to use gender-based violence to control communities, and these investigations will be vital in upcoming peace negotiations.

Finally, Haiti is set to have a new international force, led by Kenya, but sponsored by the United Nations. A daunting challenge ([link removed]) faces them in this failed state where criminal gangs provide the only authority in many parts of the country.


** Latest Investigation
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** Tren de Aragua: From Prison Gang to Transnational Criminal Enterprise ([link removed])
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Ten years ago, Tren de Aragua ([link removed]) was a little more than a prison gang, confined to the

walls of the Tocorón penitentiary and largely unheard of outside its home state of

Aragua in Venezuela. Today, it is one of the fastest growing security threats in South

America.

Tren de Aragua’s transnational network now stretches into Colombia, Peru, Chile and

beyond. It has established some of the most far-reaching and sophisticated migrant

smuggling and sex trafficking networks seen in the region. And it has spread terror

in host countries and among the Venezuelan migrant population, which it has

ruthlessly exploited.

Chapters
1. Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua Loses its Home ([link removed])
2. Three Stages in the Construction of the Tren de Aragua’s Transnational Empire ([link removed])
3. Tren de Aragua’s Criminal Portfolio: Adapt or Die ([link removed])


** Featured
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** UN-Backed Haiti Force Unlikely to Root Out Gangs ([link removed])
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The United Nations Security Council gave the green light for deploying a multinational armed force to Haiti, but questions linger regarding the effectiveness of this international security presence.

The Security Council approved the deployment on October 2 amid an unprecedented security crisis in Haiti, where the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021 worsened an economic and social collapse that has led to lawlessness and widespread hunger.

Read the article here > ([link removed])


** NewsAnalysis
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All News > ([link removed])
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** 3 Obstacles in the Fight Against Money Laundering in Ecuador ([link removed])
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Money laundering is the second-most prevalent criminal economy in Ecuador, according to a new study. Yet efforts to counter the crime...
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** Dutch Caribbean Remains a High-Risk Route for Venezuelan Migrants ([link removed])
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The recent interceptions of boats carrying migrants towards the Dutch Caribbean again reveal lucrative human smuggling and…
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** Colombia Expands Investigation of Gender Violence in Its Armed Conflict ([link removed])
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A decision by Colombia’s transitional justice body has launched…


** Impact
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What We Do > ([link removed])

In light of the high-level bilateral security meeting between the US and Mexican governments, our investigator Victoria Dittmar engaged in a roundtable discussion with journalists José Buendía and Alejandro Almazán. They discussed what we can anticipate in terms of bilateral cooperation to address the fentanyl crisis.

*Please note that the roundtable discussion was held in Spanish.

Watch the discussion here > ([link removed])

Read our content on fentanyl > ([link removed])


** This Week's Criminal Profile: G9 and Family
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The G9 and Family (G9 an fanmi – G9 ([link removed]) ) is a criminal federation of nine of the strongest gangs in Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince. Their leader and founder is the former police officer Jimmy Chérizier, alias “Barbecue” ([link removed]) . The federation allowed member gangs to expand their territory and offer politicians a unified weapon with which to suppress their opposition.

The coalition had been formerly linked to since-assassinated ([link removed]) Haitian President Jovenel Moïse and his ruling Haitian Tèt Kale Party (Parti Haïtien Tèt Kale – PHTK), for whom the G9 is alleged to have ensured votes and quelled social unrest in gang-controlled neighborhoods. G9 is now threatening to challenge the Haitian state itself, with Chérizier calling for a “revolution” in June 2021.
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Read our G9 and Family profile > ([link removed])
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Read our G9 and Family coverage > ([link removed])


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

October 4 2023

EFE ([link removed])
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"According to InSight Crime, in 2022 Honduras had a homicide rate of 35.8 per 100,000 people, the second highest in Latin America after Venezuela.”

Read our coverage of Honduras > ([link removed])


** Our Trending Topics
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TREN DE ARAGUA ([link removed])
GENDER AND CRIME ([link removed])
HUMAN SMUGGLING ([link removed])
HAITI ([link removed])

Support out work

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.

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InSight Crime is sponsored by:
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Open Society Foundations ([link removed])
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency ([link removed])

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