Weekly InSight

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.

Featured

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 >

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.


Learn more about how you can help us >

This Week's Criminal Profile: Gaitanistas - Gulf Clan

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,” 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.

Our Trending Topics

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.


Donate today