** Weekly InSight
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March 8, 2024
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This week, InSight Crime reports from Ecuador, where the government continues ([link removed]) its war against domestic drug trafficking gangs. We examine the foreign criminal groups operating in the country and outline their role in drug trafficking and in perpetuating Ecuador’s ongoing conflict.
In the Netherlands, a pioneering cocaine trafficker, Ridouan Taghi, has been sentenced ([link removed]) to life in jail. We analyze his criminal past and explain why the six-year trial that led to his conviction is unlikely to change the Netherlands’ entrenched position as a key cocaine hub.
In Mexico, avocados and organized crime have long gone hand in hand. InSight Crime interviewed ([link removed]) the author of a new report to learn more about what draws criminal groups to the trade and how the interests of criminal actors and investors can often align.
In Haiti, gangs attacked ([link removed]) two prisons in the capital, Port-au-Prince, freeing thousands of prisoners. The attacks were a response to Prime Minister Ariel Henry signing a security agreement that could see a deployment of up to 1,000 Kenyan police on Haitian streets.
And a new Netflix series, Griselda, has topped ([link removed]) TV charts with its portrayal of Griselda Blanco, a notorious Colombian drug trafficker. But does the series manage to move beyond some of the previous problematic gender stereotypes that have plagued previous narco-dramas? (Spoiler: it does not!)
This and more below.
** Featured ([link removed])
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** Unmasking the Foreign Players on Ecuador’s Criminal Chessboard ([link removed])
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Ecuador declared war on 22 domestic drug trafficking gangs in January, proclaiming them terrorist organizations and arresting over 11,000 suspects. But some of the most serious blows to date have been against transnational networks.
In February, a joint Spanish-Ecuadorian operation brought down an Albanian-led drug trafficking network, only about two weeks after Ecuadorian police arrested a major Colombian guerrilla leader operating in the province of Imbabura.
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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** Pioneering Dutch Cocaine Trafficker Sentenced to Life in Prison ([link removed])
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A Dutch court sentenced drug trafficking pioneer Ridouan Taghi to a lifelong prison sentence. Despite Taghi’s role in creating a global … ([link removed])
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** What Netflix’s ‘Griselda’ Gets Wrong About Women in Organized Crime ([link removed])
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Netflix recently released its eponymous Griselda Blanco biopic, starring Sofía Vergara, which follows the drug trafficker’s journey from … ([link removed])
How Criminal Groups Help Expand Mexico’s Multibillion-Dollar Avocado Industry ([link removed])
Kenya Agrees to Police Haiti’s Criminal Hurricane ([link removed])
** Impact
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What We Do > ([link removed])
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** Impact: Homicide Round-Up Shapes Crime Coverage ([link removed])
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InSight Crime’s 2023 Homicide Round-Up is a key resource used widely by academics, policymakers, and journalists to understand organized crime dynamics in Latin America. For the first time, online readers can explore the Homicide Round-Up as an interactive map. A PDF version ([link removed]) is also available to download.
This week, co-director Jeremy McDermott spoke ([link removed]) with news channels across the region to highlight Latin America’s latest homicide hotspots and to offer InSight Crime's authoritative analysis on the main security challenges faced by different countries.
Read the investigation > ([link removed])
** This Week's Criminal Profile: Juan Orlando Hernández ([link removed])
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On Wednesday, the US government rested its case against Honduran ex-President Juan Orlando Hernández in New York. Hernández is charged with drug trafficking and weapons offenses. Prosecutors allege that Hernández used ([link removed]) the power of the presidency to solicit millions of dollars of bribes and conspired with cartels to move hundreds of tons of cocaine.
When this newsletter was sent, the jury was still deliberating their verdict, which could come as soon as Friday, March 8. If found guilty of the charges against him, it is likely that Hernández will face a life sentence in prison. His brother, former congressman Tony Hernández, is also serving a life sentence in the United States for his role in the conspiracy.
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Read our Juan Orlando Hernández profile > ([link removed])
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Read our Honduras coverage > ([link removed])
** Next Week
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The third episode of The InSight Crime Podcast drops on Wednesday, March 13. In this episode, with the help of InSight Crime Investigator, Victoria Dittmar, we meet two collaborators of MS13 and Barrio 18 detained in a women's prison in Támara, Honduras.
Through their stories, we explore the gang dynamics inside the Honduran penitentiary system and how gender influences the experiences of inmates and their captors. We also describe how authorities underestimated the potential for violence between women behind bars for years, and how this paved the way for one of the worst massacres in a women’s prison in Latin American history.
Subscribe to the Podcast Newsletter ([link removed]) and get every new episode and in-depth coverage of the related field trips delivered to your inbox.
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** Media Mentions
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March 2, 2024
Georgetown Journal of International Affairs ([link removed])
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“In a major study by the think tank InSight Crime in May 2023 ([link removed]) on the trade in opioid precursors, researchers inquiring about buying illegal chemicals had considerable success (sourcing precursors) with China-based suppliers clustered in Hebei and Hubei provinces.”
Read the cited report here > ([link removed])
** Our Trending Topics
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