** Weekly InSight
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February 16, 2024
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This week, InSight Crime reports ([link removed]) from Durán in Ecuador, where state security forces continue to grapple with alarming homicide rates resulting from a conflict between the Chone Killers and the Latin Kings. InSight Crime analyzes the crisis and explores how Durán’s criminal dynamics mirror Ecuador’s broader vulnerabilities to organized crime and violence.
In Venezuela, armed forces have made a series of multi-ton cocaine seizures at clandestine laboratories in the province of Zulia. We discuss ([link removed]) the criminal groups likely responsible and analyze Zulia’s transformation from a trafficking route to a key cocaine production hub.
In Mexico, an ongoing conflict between several criminal groups over extortion revenues in Guerrero has caused violence to spike. We take a look ([link removed]) at the actors involved and write about how the state’s collusion with organized crime has facilitated the current rise in insecurity.
In the United States, the former premier of the British Virgin Islands has been found guilty on drug trafficking charges. The conviction underscores ([link removed]) the outsized impact small countries can have on drug trafficking routes and the corrupting influence of drug money at the highest levels of politics.
This and more below.
** New Podcast
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InSight Crime is excited to announce the launch of our InSight Crime Podcast: From the ground up ([link removed]) , a podcast in co-production with La No Ficción. This show will give you an in-depth look at the most compelling stories we’ve found while reporting in the field.
In the first episode, we discuss ([link removed]) the fires that are destroying the Bolivian Amazon. We explore why organized criminals want to burn down the forest and talk to the volunteer firefighters determined to stop the blazes.
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The podcast brings the human side to the organized crime stories that shape the region. We talk to victims of crime, crime fighters, and the criminals themselves. Topics that guide our coverage, including violence, gangs, inequality and corruption, become terrifyingly real.
Join us, as we take you to the places where organized crime is hitting hardest in the Americas and subscribe to get every new episode delivered to your inbox. Read the first special Podcast Newsletter ([link removed]) , where two of our editors talk about how the show came together and share a few compelling reasons to listen.
More about the show and where to subscribe > ([link removed])
Subscribe to the Podcast’s newsletter > ([link removed])
** Featured
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** Unpacking Criminal Violence in Durán, Ecuador’s Cocaine Warehouse ([link removed])
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The Ecuadorian city of Durán went from relative obscurity to being splashed across international headlines when its homicide rate began to skyrocket in June 2023.
Since President Daniel Noboa declared ([link removed]) war against Ecuador’s gangs on January 9, homicides in Durán and most of the rest of the country have dropped.
But this militarized strategy has not engaged with the underlying dynamics driving violence in Durán, which have deep roots and are likely to resurface.
Read the article here > ([link removed])
See more coverage from Ecuador > ([link removed])
** News Analysis
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All News > ([link removed])
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** ELN, Ex-FARC Mafia Drive Rising Cocaine Production in Zulia, Venezuela ([link removed])
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A series of large-scale drug seizures at clandestine laboratories in a Venezuelan border state suggest the ELN and ex-FARC mafia are … ([link removed])
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** Criminal Violence Paralyzes Mexico’s Southern State of Guerrero ([link removed])
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Ongoing battles between several crime groups over lucrative criminal economies like extortion have sparked a new wave of violence … ([link removed])
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** Former Premier of British Virgin Islands Guilty in Landmark Drug Case ([link removed])
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A former premier of the British Virgin Islands has been convicted on drug trafficking charges in the United States, highlighting how systemic … ([link removed])
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** Murder, Corruption, and Drugs: The Ledgers That Could Sink Honduras’ Ex-President ([link removed])
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Seated at a plastic table inside a women’s prison on the outskirts of Honduras’ capital Tegucigalpa … ([link removed])
** Impact
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What We Do > ([link removed])
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** Covering the Trial of Juan Orlando Hernández
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InSight Crime continues to deliver authoritative analysis ahead of the trial of Juan Orlando Hernández ([link removed]) , Honduras’ former president. The trial was delayed by one week on Monday 12 and is now slated to start on February 20.
In our recent coverage, InSight Crime explored ([link removed]) the close relationship multiple US administrations shared with Hernández, even as evidence of his involvement in drug trafficking swirled. We also told the story ([link removed]) behind the “narco-ledgers” - documents that recorded drug payments to “JOH and his people” - which are expected to feature as key pieces of evidence against the former president.
This week, Hoy Mismo interviewed InSight Crime’s co-director, Steven Dudley. La Prensa and Diario La Tribuna also cited our work.
Read about the narco-ledgers > ([link removed])
Read about Juan Orlando Hernández > ([link removed])
** This Week's Criminal Group: G9 and Family ([link removed])
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Gang fighting this week forced hundreds to flee Cité Soleil, a suburb of Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince. Local media reported that criminals torched houses with some residents forced to take refuge in public squares.
Two gangs are at the center of the violence in Cité Soleil; Chen Mechan, part of the G9 and Family ([link removed]) gang alliance, and Ti-Gabriel, part of the G-PEP alliance.
Alliances between gangs allow them to amplify their power and increase their territorial control. G9 and Family have close links to state actors and benefit from almost total immunity. The group gained international notoriety in 2021 after they took over Terminal Varreux, Haiti’s largest oil port.
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Read our G9 and Family profile > ([link removed])
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Read our Haiti coverage > ([link removed])
** Media Mentions
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About Us > ([link removed])
February 9, 2024
NACLA ([link removed])
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“According to InSight Crime ([link removed]) , the murder of Choneros founder Jorge Luis Zambrano ([link removed]) , alias “Rasquiña,” in 2020 sparked a conflict with a coalition of other local groups, such as the Lobos, Tiguerones, and Chone Killers.”
Read our Ecuador coverage > ([link removed])
** Our Trending Topics
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JUAN ORLANDO HERNÁNDEZ ([link removed])
MEXICO ([link removed])
COLOMBIA ([link removed])
ELN ([link removed].)
Support our work
We go into the field to interview, report and investigate. We then verify, write, and edit, providing the tools to generate real impact on fighting organized crime.
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InSight Crime is sponsored by:
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Open Society Foundations ([link removed])
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency ([link removed])
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