Chinese vendors are using the dark web to hawk highly controlled chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl.
** Weekly InSight
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April 12, 2024
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This week, InSight Crime investigates ([link removed]) China’s precursor supply chain. Chinese vendors are using the dark web to hawk highly controlled chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl. We contacted the sellers and visited chemical exporters in person to learn more about China’s role in the synthetic drug boom.
We also talk to investigator Victoria Dittmar who gives us the story ([link removed]) behind InSight Crime’s groundbreaking investigation into gang violence in a female penitentiary in Honduras just weeks before it became the site of one of the most violent prison massacres in the country’s history.
Meanwhile, Mexico severed ([link removed]) diplomatic ties with Ecuador after security forces raided the Mexican embassy in Quito to detain a former vice president; Colombian criminal groups are taking advantage of ceasefire agreements to strengthen ([link removed]) their criminal governance; and extortion in the Colombian department of Atlántico has spiked ([link removed]) as criminal groups try to compensate for a fall in cocaine revenues.
This and more below.
** Latest Chapter
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** The Synthetic Silk Road: Tracing China’s Grey-Market Precursor Chemical Trade ([link removed])
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We were in a remote city in mainland China, also referred to as the People’s Republic of China, when we met Wang. Wang is short and has a protruding belly that on that day stretched the buttons on his brown, Louis Vuitton shirt. His jewelry shop is tucked away in the lonely recesses of the city. Given the location and timing — China was still living under the government’s strict COVID-19 pandemic restrictions — we did not expect much fanfare.
But inside, we noticed a plethora of treasures from what could have been a lost pirate ship’s booty — among them, a few random emerald rings, a pair of diamond bracelets, and a dusty gold ring with a sapphire square embedded in it.
Read the investigation > ([link removed])
** News Analysis
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** InSide the Story: How We Investigated Honduras’ Women’s Prison Massacre ([link removed])
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On August 16, 2023, InSight Crime published an investigation into Honduras’ National Women’s … ([link removed])
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** Ecuador Raid on Mexico Embassy Risks Support for Security Plans ([link removed])
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The raid by Ecuadorian security forces on the Mexican embassy in Quito to arrest former Vice … ([link removed])
Colombia’s Ex-FARC Mafia Issues IDs to Enforce Criminal Governance ([link removed])
Decreased Cocaine Flows Lead to Increased Extortion in Northern Colombia ([link removed])
** Impact
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** InSight Crime Leads Analysis of Global Cocaine Market ([link removed])
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This week, InSight Crime’s Co-Founder, Jeremy McDermott spoke ([link removed]) to German broadcaster Deutsche Welle to highlight Europe’s growing role in the cocaine trade. InSight Crime’s global network of analysts allows the organization to offer leading analysis of illicit markets and criminal groups.
The quantities of cocaine shipped to Europe are booming. Last year, authorities in Belgium seized 116 tons of cocaine at the Port of Antwerp alone. What’s more, wholesale cocaine prices in Europe can reach $40,000 per kilogram, almost double the prices traffickers can fetch in the United States.
“The most lucrative chain is the moving of cocaine from Latin America to Europe,” said McDermott. “This is where the big money is. This is where everyone wants to get involved.”
Read the 2023 Cocaine Seizure Round-Up > ([link removed])
Read our European cocaine investigation > ([link removed])
** This Week's Criminal Profile: Jalisco Cartel New Generation (CJNG) ([link removed])
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In Mexico, criminal groups are increasingly using drones to commit violence against civilian populations. The most recent attacks were perpetrated by members of the Jalisco Cartel New Generation (CJNG) who used drones armed with explosives and chemicals to displace residents from three rural towns in Michoacán.
The CJNG is one of Mexico’s most powerful cartels. Formed from a faction of the Milenio Cartel in 2009, the group developed a reputation for deploying lurid displays of violence and brazen attacks against civilians and public officials. The leader of the group, Nemesio Oseguera Ramos, alias “El Mencho,” is Mexico’s most wanted criminal. The US Drug Enforcement Administration has offered a record $10 million bounty for information that leads to his arrest.
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Read our CJNG profile > ([link removed])
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Read our Mexico coverage > ([link removed])
** Media Mentions
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April 10, 2024
ATLAS ([link removed])
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“The type of networks that are operating in the cocaine trade are not the hierarchical organizations that you see in ‘Narcos’.”
Read the cited article here > ([link removed])
** Our Trending Topics
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