The recruitment of women as informants by Colombia’s state security forces in the northeastern edge of the country led to a spike in femicides.
** Weekly InSight
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April 26, 2024
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This week, InSight Crime publishes ([link removed]) an in-depth investigation into how the recruitment of women as informants by Colombia’s state security forces in the northeastern edge of the country led to a spike in femicides.
We also report ([link removed]) from Ecuador, where our reporters analyze last weekend’s overwhelming endorsement of a series of security reforms proposed by President Noboa in a national referendum.
Also this week, Mexican authorities continue to target relatives of drug kingpins; Ecuador gets sanctioned ([link removed]) for inadequately regulating the shark-fin trade; and Guatemala’s President Arévalo grapples ([link removed]) with entrenched corruption during his first 100 days in office.
Scroll down for all of this, plus details on our imminent conference ([link removed]) on synthetic drugs in Mexico City. Registration ([link removed]) closes soon.
** Latest Investigation
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** The Informants of Tibú: How the Colombian State Unleashed a Wave of Femicides ([link removed])
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A banging on the door echoed throughout the house.
It was a Sunday morning in January 2021, in Tibú, a municipality in the Colombian department of Norte de Santander, near the Venezuelan border.
“We heard the knocking, and I looked at my husband,” said Mar.* “We weren’t expecting anyone, and we were surprised at such insistent, forceful knocking.”
Read the investigation > ([link removed])
** Featured ([link removed])
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** Ecuadorians Back President’s Security Agenda But Challenges Await ([link removed])
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Ecuadorians delivered an overwhelming show of support for President Daniel Noboa’s hardline security policies in a referendum held as the government’s popular “war on gangs” enters a challenging new phase.
The vote, held on April 21, was largely seen as a popularity test for Noboa’s agenda so far. Noboa became president in late 2023 amid unprecedented violence and has since used emergency powers to stage a militarized crackdown on Ecuador’s criminal gangs. Polls suggest most Ecuadorians support the president’s campaign.
Read the article here > ([link removed])
See more coverage from Ecuador > ([link removed])
** News Analysis
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** 100 Days In, Guatemala President Locks Horns with Corruption and Crime ([link removed])
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Bernardo Arévalo rode a wave of discontent over corruption to become Guatemala’s president…
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** Is Mexico’s Family-Focused Counternarcotics Strategy Working? ([link removed])
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With the arrest of a top cartel leader’s brother, Mexican authorities are again resorting to an often ineffective…
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** After Sanctions, Will Ecuador Put a Stop to Shark-Fin Trafficking? ([link removed])
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Authorities in Ecuador are contemplating a response to an international sanction of its shark…
** Impact
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** InSight Crime Receives Prestigious Ortega and Gasset Award in Barcelona ([link removed])
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InSight Crime reporters traveled to Barcelona, Spain, to collect the prestigious Ortega and Gasset prize for our investigation, The Moskitia: The Honduran Jungle Drowning in Cocaine ([link removed]) .
Written by Juan Martínez d’Aubuisson and Bryan Avelar, the Moskitia investigation chronicles how drug trafficking destroys the rainforest and threatens indigenous communities on Honduras’ remote northern coast. At the ceremony, Martínez d’Aubuisson and Avelar were presented with the award for “best story or journalistic investigation.”
In his acceptance speech, Martínez d’Aubuisson spoke of his commitment to investigating how transnational crime impacts the lives of powerless populations.
“This is precisely the kind of journalism I have bet my life on,” he said. “And it is the only one I want to continue doing.”
He also thanked Moskitia’s indigenous communities for educating him and guiding him through the remote jungle.
Read the investigation > ([link removed])
See more coverage from Honduras > ([link removed])
** This Week's Criminal Profile: Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias ‘El Mencho’ ([link removed])
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This week, Mexican authorities arrested the brother of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho,” the fugitive leader of the Jalisco Cartel New Generation (Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación – CJNG).
Though El Mencho’s brother is not believed to be a major player in the CJNG, authorities hope his capture will derail the group’s operations.
El Mencho and the CJNG have already weathered the detention of numerous close family members. Another of El Mencho’s brothers was arrested in December 2022. And, in 2021, police picked up his wife, who was later charged with money laundering.
Despite the arrests, authorities have come no closer to capturing El Mencho, who remains Mexico’s most wanted criminal, nor managed to significantly disrupt the CJNG. The US Drug Enforcement Administration has offered a record $10 million bounty for information leading to his arrest.
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Read our El Mencho profile > ([link removed])
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Read our Mexico coverage > ([link removed])
** Upcoming Event
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InSight Crime investigators and guest experts will discuss topics key to Mexico’s synthetic drug trade, including how precursor chemicals reach the country, how fentanyl impacts organized crime, and why the synthetic drug boom is having increasing environmental and social impacts in Mexico and beyond.
The event is free of charge but registration is required to attend in person. We offer transportation from the Marriott Reforma Hotel and a cocktail lunch. Event registration to attend in person is closing soon.
If you are unable to attend in person, you can join us by connecting to the live webcast on YouTube, in English ([link removed]) or Spanish ([link removed]) .
Register to attend in person > ([link removed])
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** Media Mentions
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About Us > ([link removed])
April 24, 2024
The Week ([link removed])
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“Andrew Fahie, who led the British Virgin Islands from 2019 to 2022, was arrested in April 2022 after a US "sting operation" involving a confidential informant known as "Roberto Quintero", who posed as a trafficker of the notorious Mexican Sinaloa cartel, reported InSight Crime.”
Read the cited article here > ([link removed])
** Our Trending Topics
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