This week, InSight Crime tells the story of Jose Gregorio Roa, a Venezuelan migrant whose wife and daughter disappeared after setting sail in a boat.
** Weekly InSight
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January 19, 2024
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This week, InSight Crime tells ([link removed]) the story of Jose Gregorio Roa, a Venezuelan migrant whose wife and daughter disappeared after setting sail in a boat from the Colombian island of San Andrés on their way to the United States. This Caribbean route is presented as a safe alternative to the dangerous Darien jungle, but the disappearance of numerous boats and hundreds of migrants suggests otherwise.
In Colombia, we analyze ([link removed]) extortion schemes run by members of Venezuelan criminal groups from prison, as well as the response of the authorities, who have arrested 17 members of the Satanás gang in the capital, Bogotá, in recent weeks.
In addition, we explain ([link removed]) how Mexico's criminal landscape could enter a period of brutal violence in the lead up to federal elections in June 2024. In the first two weeks of the year, several political candidates have been assassinated in the country.
Finally, InSight Crime continues ([link removed]) its coverage of Ecuador's security crisis with a virtual conversation with Renato Rivera, coordinator of Ecuador's Organized Crime Observatory, on recent events and what the future holds for the country’s fight against organized crime.
** Featured
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** Smuggled Migrants Face Deadly Waters in San Andrés, Colombia ([link removed])
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On December 17, 2022, José Gregorio Roa lost track of his wife and daughter, who had set out on a boat from the island of San Andrés, Colombia, headed for the coast of Nicaragua. Both disappeared.
Jacqueline Velazco Zambrano, 51, left Venezuela with her daughter Grecia Yarleni Roa Velazco, 21, hoping to join José Gregorio in the United States. But like many groups of migrants in the last two years, they vanished in the Caribbean Sea.
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** NewsAnalysis
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** Corruption, Crypto Test LatAm Money Laundering Laws ([link removed])
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Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean face multiple obstacles to effective anti-money laundering enforcement…
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** Assessing the Early Days of Ecuador’s War on Gangs ([link removed])
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In response to a wave of violence in Ecuador, the government made an unprecedented decision last week and declared war on 22 criminal…
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** Mexico’s 2024 Election Could Spark Violent Criminal Realignments ([link removed])
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Mexico’s increasingly diverse and horizontally integrated criminal landscape could enter a period of violent upheaval…
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** Colombia Struggles to Tackle Prison-Based Extortion ([link removed])
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Colombian authorities are struggling to disrupt extortion schemes run by imprisoned Venezuelan…
** Impact
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In recent weeks, multiple global media outlets have turned to InSight Crime's coverage of Ecuador's security crisis to understand the country's organized crime and gang dynamics. InSight Crime's co-director, Steven Dudley, gave interviews to outlets like CNN ([link removed]) , and graphics and data from our investigations were featured in multiple international and regional outlets, including BBC News Mundo ([link removed]) , France24 ([link removed]) , El Espectador ([link removed]) and CNN Chile ([link removed]) .
Listen to our conversation with Renato Rivera (audio in Spanish) > ([link removed])
Read our analysis on Ecuador > ([link removed])
** This Week's Criminal Profile: the Choneros
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The Choneros is one of Ecuador's largest criminal groups and one of the main culprits behind the country's recent security crisis. On January 7, 2024, Choneros leader and founder Adolfo Macias, alias "Fito," disappeared from his prison cell in the port city of Guayaquil shortly before being transferred to a maximum security facility. President Daniel Noboa's government declared a state of emergency after confirming Fito's escape, sparking an armed conflict with gangs that is the first major security crisis of his administration.
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Read our profile of the Choneros > ([link removed])
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Read our latest article on Ecuador > ([link removed])
** Coming Soon
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On January 31st, InSight Crime will launch the Spanish version of the Organized Crime Observatory for Venezuela. Listen to our virtual panel of experts who will present the main challenges and dimensions of organized crime in the country in 2024.
** Media Mentions
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About Us > ([link removed])
January 17
The Brazilian Report ([link removed])
"The Red Command is the country’s oldest surviving organized criminal group and has been described as a ‘sizable national and transnational threat’ by InSight Crime, a think tank that conducts research on criminal organizations."
Read our profile of the Red Command > ([link removed])
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