Weekly InSight

This week, InSight Crime revisits the case of Brian Blue, a notorious drug trafficker who continues to evade capture despite – or perhaps because of – his alleged ties to the country’s vice president. InSight Crime outlines Blue’s criminal career and details how corruption at the highest levels of government may be helping him remain at large.  


Also this week, The InSight Crime Podcast tells the story of two gang collaborators incarcerated in a women's prison in Támara, Honduras.


In Haiti, Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned and remains exiled in Puerto Rico. Over the weekend, gangs attacked state institutions, including the presidential palace. 5.5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, and the country is on the brink of collapse.  


In the United States, Honduran ex-President Juan Orlando Hernández was found guilty of drug trafficking.


Meanwhile, in Venezuela, state security forces killed Deiber Johan Gonzalez, alias “Carlos Capa”, one of the country’s most notorious criminal leaders.


This and more below.

Surinamese drug trafficker Brian Blue remains at large months after InSight Crime exposed his suspected ties to the country’s vice president, showcasing his ability to stay off the radar of Surinamese authorities despite his rising international profile.


Three months after InSight Crime revealed that a US Drug Enforcement Administration special agent suspected that Suriname’s Vice President Ronnie Brunswijk had intervened in an August 2020 drug bust linked to Blue, Suriname authorities have not announced any investigation into the trafficker. 


Read the article here > 

See more coverage from Suriname >

InSight Crime’s podcast this week comes from a women's prison in Támara, a small town in the hills surrounding Honduras’ capital city, Tegucigalpa. On June 20, 2023, the penitentiary became the site of one of the most violent massacres ever to take place in a women's prison in Latin America. 


In the podcast, we meet two gang collaborators, one from 18th Street and one from MS13. Through their stories, we explore what life in the prison was like under the constant gang tension and looming threat of violence.

InSight Crime's maps are reaching an increasing number of social media users, helping explain complex criminal dynamics to new audiences. In 2023, InSight Crime’s multimedia team produced over 800 graphics. 


Our maps of cocaine trafficking routes are making the rounds on TikTok, with one video racking up nearly a million views in recent days.


Our homicide round-up map was also recently shared by Honduras’ security minister and Ecuador's former President Rafael Correa, leading to tens of thousands of additional views and interactions. 


Learn about cocaine trafficking routes >

Read the Homicide Round-Up >

Haiti plunged further into chaos this week after Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he would resign following calls for his ouster led by gang leader Jimmy Chérizier, alias “Barbecue.”


Haiti has a fractured criminal landscape, though the gangs have shown increased unity and determination in this week’s continued onslaught against  Haitian state institutions. Barbecue leads a newly expanded federation of gangs called Viv Ansanm. He is one of several powerful gang leaders looking to exploit Haiti’s current crisis to maximize his own power.

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