Criminal groups are targeting violence against defiant public officials who refuse their bribes, undermining the country’s fight against corruption.
** Weekly InSight
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March 29, 2024
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This week, InSight Crime continues coverage of Ecuador, where criminal groups are targeting ([link removed]) violence against defiant public officials who refuse their bribes, undermining the country’s fight against corruption.
In Peru, extortion has skyrocketed ([link removed]) . We explain what’s behind the trend and analyze the rise of a new form of loan sharking used increasingly by criminal groups.
In Brazil, the recent arrests ([link removed]) of current and former Rio de Janeiro officials for the murder of a high-profile councilwoman in 2018 highlight how senior state employees collaborated with Brazilian militia groups.
In the United States, a high-ranking leader of MS13 was detained ([link removed]) in San Diego, giving prosecutors a potential opportunity to learn about alleged cooperation between the gang’s most powerful members and the Salvadoran government.
And in Colombia, the capture ([link removed]) of a Tren de Aragua leader and a 3-ton marijuana seizure underscores the organization’s continued diversification into new criminal economies.
This and more below.
** Featured ([link removed])
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** Plata o Plomo: Ecuador’s Public Servants in Gangs’ Crosshairs ([link removed])
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The murder of Ecuador’s youngest mayor spotlights how the country’s criminal groups violently target public officials who cannot be bought off.
Unidentified actors on March 23 kidnapped Brigitte García, the mayor of San Vicente county in Ecuador’s coastal province of Manabí, along with her communications director. The next day, authorities found their dead bodies in a rented car abandoned at a nearby beach.
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** News Analysis
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** Arrests Suggest Corruption Behind Murder of Marielle Franco in Brazil ([link removed])
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The arrests of current and former Rio de Janeiro officials for involvement in the 2018 murder of Rio … ([link removed])
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** US Advances MS13 ‘Terrorism’ Case With Arrest of Sixth Top Leader ([link removed])
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The recent arrest of a senior MS13 leader could provide prosecutors … ([link removed])
Financial Vulnerability Fuels Predatory Crime in Peru ([link removed])
Authorities in Colombia Expose Tren de Aragua’s Involvement in Drug Trafficking ([link removed])
** Impact
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** InSight Crime Shares Expertise at Investigative Journalism Forum ([link removed])
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This month, InSight Crime participated in a panel held by Consejo de Redacción, a Colombian association of journalists that promotes investigative journalism in Latin America.
During the event, InSight Crime Investigator Lara Loaiza spoke about her work covering organized crime in border areas. She also shared best practices for conducting safe fieldwork, and discussed how to incorporate gender perspectives in investigations related to crime.
“Organized crime is becoming increasingly transnational, crossing borders, making it impossible to tell stories from one side,” Loaiza told the panel’s audience, which included investigative journalists from throughout the region.
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Read our gender and crime coverage > ([link removed])
** This Week's Criminal Profile: Unión Tepito ([link removed])
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In Mexico City, a crackdown against the Unión Tepito, one of the city’s most powerful criminal gangs, has resulted in the arrests of three leaders in one week. Prosecutors believe that one of the detainees, José Mauricio N, alias “El Tomate,” participated in a massacre in Plaza Garibaldi in 2018. During the massacre, gunmen disguised as Mariachi musicians opened fire into crowds during Independence Day celebrations, killing six.
The Unión Tepito is a fragmented cell-based organization without a strong hierarchical structure, something that could hinder any effort to dismantle the gang. The string of recent arrests, however, indicates the renewed determination of state security forces to clamp down on the group and target its most prominent leaders.
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Read our Unión Tepito profile > ([link removed])
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Read our Mexico coverage > ([link removed])
** Media Mentions
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March 27, 2024
The Economist ([link removed])
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“Smugglers passing through Suriname, a former Dutch colony, can bypass corrupt police at the Maroni river on the border with French Guiana, according to InSight Crime, an investigative outfit in Washington.”
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** Our Trending Topics
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HAITI ([link removed])
MS13 ([link removed])
MEXICO ([link removed])
CHONEROS ([link removed])
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