Weekly InSight

This week, InSight Crime breaks down the numbers of violent deaths in Bahia, a Brazilian state that is bleeding amid the territorial disputes between gangs and the tactics implemented by state security forces to deal with them. This analysis was done in partnership with the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED).

On the other side of the continent, we analyze the possible impact on the region’s criminal underworld caused by the implementation of a long-awaited regulation in the United States that obliges companies to declare information on their beneficial owners.

One criminal case that could shake El Salvador's institutions is the trial in the United States of Élmer Canales Rivera, alias "Crook," a member of the  MS13 gang. On the other hand, the return to Haiti of a former political actor and drug trafficker from the United States could put another criminal player into an already anarchic situation created by the gangs on the island.

Finally, we take a look at the pressure of public opinion on Chilean President Gabriel Boric, who is being asked to toughen anti-crime measures in the face of a growing perception of insecurity, which risks criminalizing the migrant population.

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DataInSights: What Is Behind Rising Violence in Bahia, Brazil?

Rival criminal factions are targeting civilians as they battle for territorial control across Brazil’s northeastern state of Bahia, with a heavy-handed government response further exacerbating the violence.

With nearly 1,700 reported deaths at the hands of organized crime and police, Bahia has suffered some of the deadliest organized violence of any of Brazil’s 26 states so far this year, according to new data collected by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) and shared exclusively with InSight Crime.

Read the article >

"At the moment, the gangs in El Salvador are operating at a minimal capacity thanks to the arrests made by the government. Now, the gangs do not have a sufficient structure to continue controlling territories. What we have seen is an almost total collapse of these structures": Alex Papadovassilakis (@AlexPapadov), investigative journalist for Insight Crime, in an interview with NTN24.

Read our investigation over the crackdown on gangs in El Salvador >

This Week's Criminal Profile: Red Command

The criminal groups responsible for the violence in Bahia are the Red Command (Comando Vermelho - CV), from Rio de Janeiro, and the local Bonde do Maluco (BDM), which allied with the First Capital Command (Primeiro Comando da Capital - PCC). The CV was involved in the highest number of clashes that left at least 194 people dead.

Coming Soon | End of the Year Specials

Year’s Best

On December 22, stay tuned for our top five most read investigations of the year. These investigations are the result of years of work, going into the field, and interviewing hundreds of victims, criminal actors, state officials and experts.

GameChangers 2023

Starting December 26, don't miss the GameChangers series, which combines an analysis of criminal milestones in the region with predictions on how these dynamics will evolve in the coming year. This series comprises eight chapters that are going to be published over the following weeks.

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