** Weekly InSight
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January 26, 2023
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This week, InSight Crime looks at ([link removed]) Ecuador’s evolving security crisis, where violence has subsided following President Daniel Noboa’s declaration of war against gangs. How long can this lull last when the state faces a well-resourced enemy and a complex criminal landscape?
Also in Ecuador, a record-breaking 22-ton cocaine seizure ([link removed]) has underlined the success of international intelligence support to the country, but it is unlikely to change Ecuador’s role as a key cocaine hub.
Nearby, Bolivia’s own record cocaine seizures ([link removed]) have highlighted the country’s increasing importance as both a cocaine producer and exporter.
We also report ([link removed]) from La Libertad in Peru, where a delayed response to the latest violence carried out by illegal mining gangs against gold mining companies could see attacks spread to other parts of the country.
Gold has also been a problem in Brazil, where we assess ([link removed]) the Lula administration’s ongoing fight against illegal mining following the news that new mines have appeared in protected Indigenous lands despite earlier crackdowns.
And finally, we look ahead to four key presidential elections in the region this year: El Salvador, Mexico, Panama, and Venezuela. We analyze ([link removed]) the role organized crime will play in each election, and the threats winners will face once they take power.
** Coming Soon
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** Featured
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** Ecuador Faces a Tangled Web in Its War on Gangs ([link removed])
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Ecuador’s numerous gangs boast a significant territorial presence and a diversity of funding streams that will pose a formidable challenge to the country’s weak institutions, in what will likely be a drawn-out conflict between organized crime and the state.
Approximately a week after Ecuador declared war ([link removed]) on organized crime amid gang-led chaos, prison riots, and attacks on police and civilians, the country’s security forces said they had re-taken prisons, and violence appeared to be down from its peak. But experts expect the lull to be temporary.
Read the article here > ([link removed])
Read our Ecuador coverage here > ([link removed])
** NewsAnalysis
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** Record Cocaine Seizure Blow to Ecuador’s Gangs ([link removed])
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The seizure of almost 22 tons of cocaine and the capture of a top Colombian drug trafficker have given the new Ecuadorian president …
** Record Seizures in Bolivia Suggest Growing Role in Cocaine Exports ([link removed])
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Bolivia seized a record amount of cocaine in 2023, suggesting that its role as both a cocaine producer and exporter is growing …
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** Illegal Gold Mining Continues Threatening Yanomami Land in Brazil ([link removed])
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Authorities have discovered further illegal mining operations on Yanomami Indigenous lands in Brazil, casting doubt on efforts …
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** Peruvian Gold Mining Gangs Launch Increasingly Brazen Attacks ([link removed])
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The growth of gold mining gangs in Peru’s La Libertad province has led to a deteriorating security …
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** Organized Crime Ranked Top Political Risk in Critical LatAm Election Year ([link removed])
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Organized crime and insecurity are the primary political risks facing Latin America in 2024 as the …
** Impact
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Ecuador’s security situation is changing rapidly. In his declaration of a state of emergency earlier this month, President Noboa designated 22 gangs as “terrorist organizations.” Many of these gangs were small organizations and relatively unknown, even to those closely following the topic.
InSight Crime’s coverage of organized crime in Ecuador continues to inform reporting across the region. This week, Ecuaviso used InSight Crime’s maps of Ecuador as a key source for their news report ([link removed]) .
Read our analysis on Ecuador > ([link removed])
** This Week’s Criminal Profile: Juan Orlando Hernández
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Final preparations started in the US this week for the trial of Juan Orlando Hernández, Honduras’ embattled former president. The trial is slated to start on 12 February.
Hernández was extradited to the US in April 2021, where he faces drug trafficking charges. He will be the first president to be tried for drug trafficking in a US court since the 1992 trial of Manuel Antonio Noriega, Panama’s military dictator.
Prosecutors allege that for almost two decades, Hernández took part in a criminal conspiracy to import more than 500 tons of cocaine into the United States. He is also accused of abusing his power, including using state security forces to protect drug traffickers in exchange for bribes.
If convicted, Hernández could receive a life sentence.
Read our profile on Juan Orlando Hernández > ([link removed])
Read our analysis on Honduras > ([link removed])
** Media Mentions
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January 2023
Seattle International Foundation ([link removed])
"In a new report on the State of Exception, InSight Crime found that, “the government of El Salvador launched one of the most relentless security crackdowns in its history…"
Read our latest investigation from El Salvador > ([link removed])
** Our Trending Topics
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