This week, InSight Crime tells the story 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 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 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.