This week, InSight Crime tells the story of Johana, one of the thousands of Salvadorans labelled as “terrorists” and thrown into prison...
** Weekly InSight
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November 3, 2023
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This week, InSight Crime tells the story ([link removed]) of Johana, one of the thousands of Salvadorans labelled as “terrorists” and thrown into prison under President Nayib Bukele’s state of emergency. More than 73,000 Salvadorans have been arrested, many of them after nothing more than anonymous calls or to meet quotas demanded of security forces.
In Colombia, we analyze the severe security problems ([link removed]) facing Bogotá’s Mayor-elect Carlos Fernando Galán. Colombia’s capital is facing its worst security outlook in at least four years, with kidnappings and contract killings up sharply in 2023.
And in Mexico, we explore how the devastation in Acapulco left by Hurricane Otis could benefit ([link removed]) criminal groups. After previous natural disasters, cartels have moved quickly to get their hands on money intended for reconstruction and even provided basic services when the government could not.
** Featured
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** Portrait of a ‘Terrorist’ in El Salvador ([link removed])
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The story of Dalila Johana Flores Flores is one of thousands of arbitrary detentions that have taken place in El Salvador. Her experience demonstrates that, under the state of emergency, any person can be labeled a “terrorist” and imprisoned for months, even when there are public officials who assure that she has no relation whatsoever with gangs.
Johana became a “terrorist” on the morning of January 17, 2023. Until that day, she was a 24-year-old woman with no police record, and a mother of a three-year-old girl. She earned her living grinding corn in a nixtamal mill and preparing the dough for the tortillas eaten by almost everyone in the El Maneadero district of Zacatecoluca, La Paz.
Read the article here > ([link removed])
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** 3 Reasons Why Security Has Deteriorated in Northern Chile ([link removed])
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A new study has shed light on the security crisis unfolding in northern Chile, a border region pivotal to transnational crime but where…
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** Mexico Groups Set to Capitalize on Acapulco Hurricane Destruction ([link removed])
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The devastation brought by Hurricane Otis to Mexico’s resort town of Acapulco has opened the door for criminal groups to…
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** Security Challenges Facing the New Mayor of Bogotá, Colombia ([link removed])
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After a sweeping first-round victory, Carlos Fernando Galán, the newly elected mayor of Bogotá, Colombia, faces a severe security crisis…
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** Q&A: How Sand Trafficking in Brazil Became a Highly Lucrative Crime ([link removed])
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Brazilian authorities have launched a series of operations targeting illegal sand extraction as part of a renewed commitment to fighting…
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** Colombian Mayor Explains How Gaitanistas Took Over Key Drug Trade Town ([link removed])
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Yefer Gamboa is the mayor of Nuquí, a city on Colombia’s Pacific coast…
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Thinking about giving back this Thanksgiving? Why not consider supporting InSight Crime's mission to improve citizen security in Latin America and the Caribbean. We do this by going into the field to investigate organized crime and provide timely, insightful analysis that can inform public policy on topics like migration, drug trafficking, and money laundering.
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** This Week's Criminal Profile: Gaitanistas - Gulf Clan
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The Gaitanistas, also known as the Gulf Clan, Urabeños, and Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia – AGC), emerged from the ashes of Colombia’s paramilitary movement to become one of the dominant criminal forces in Colombia. However, under pressure from authorities, the group is on the verge of splintering into independent factions.
This process may be further sped up by the capture in October 2021 of their leader, Dairo Antonio Úsuga, alias “Otoniel,” ([link removed]) by authorities in northern Colombia. Even if his control had diminished under the pressure of an extended manhunt, he remained an identifiable leader for the group, and his removal may trigger further fragmentation.
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Read our article on the Gaitanistas and Colombia’s peace process > ([link removed])
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Read our Gaitanistas - Gulf Clan profile > ([link removed])
** Media Mentions
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November 2, 2023
The Economist ([link removed])
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"In 2021 some 330 prisoners were murdered in Ecuador, the highest number in the world. That same year coke ranked as Ecuador’s sixth-biggest export, worth nearly $1bn, or 0.9% of gdp, according to InSight Crime, an investigative outlet."
Read our article “DataInSights: The Cocaine Problem Ecuador’s Presidential Candidates Cannot Wish Away” > ([link removed])
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