Our investigation into the criminal economies fueling the destruction of Bolivia’s Amazon.
** Weekly InSight
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May 03, 2024
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This week, InSight Crime publishes an investigation ([link removed]) into the criminal economies fueling the destruction of Bolivia’s Amazon, where runaway forest fires and gold mining have led to record levels of deforestation.
We also analyze the confusion ([link removed]) around Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang, as countries across Latin America disagree on the level of threat the group poses.
Also this week, we report on the involvement of a high-ranking Spanish police officer and embassy official in trafficking drugs ([link removed]) from Latin America to Spain, and track the increased use of massacres ([link removed]) by urban gangs in Colombia’s Valle de Cauca region.
And, finally, we assess what the sentencing ([link removed]) of a former Venezuelan military commander in the United States means for Venezuela’s state-led drug trafficking group, the Cartel of the Suns.
** Latest Investigation
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Stolen Amazon: The Roots of Environmental Crime in Bolivia ([link removed])
In 2023, Bolivia reached the highest level of deforestation in its history, with a primary forest loss of almost 500,000 hectares.
Fueling this destruction are out-of-control forest fires, the expansion of the agricultural frontier, rampant gold mining, and the construction of airports and drug laboratories in the middle of natural parks and protected areas.
The unrestrained plundering of timber and wildlife is also threatening the country’s biodiversity.
This investigation, conducted by InSight Crime in partnership with the Igarapé Institute, unravels the chain of environmental crimes driving deforestation and biodiversity loss in Bolivia.
Read the investigation > ([link removed])
** Featured ([link removed])
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** Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua: A Phantom or a Reality? ([link removed])
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In early April, police officers in Oruro, eastern Bolivia, received a tip that a group of men were going to pick up weapons and ammunition from a home in the city.
They stopped four Venezuelans, one of them a minor, armed with guns and grenades. The group threatened the officers, warning them they were members of Tren de Aragua – a notorious Venezuelan criminal group that has swept across South America. The men were eventually arrested, and the three adults later paraded in front of the press…
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See more coverage from Venezuela > ([link removed])
** News Analysis
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** Police Corruption Jeopardizes Drug Trafficking Trial in Spain ([link removed])
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The alleged involvement of a high-ranking Spanish police officer in cocaine smuggling threatens to…
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** Violence in Valle del Cauca Highlights Rise of Gang Massacres in Colombia ([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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** What Cliver Alcalá’s Sentencing Means for Venezuela’s Cartel of the Suns ([link removed])
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Authorities in Ecuador are contemplating a response to an international sanction of its shark…
** World Press Freedom Day Donation
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On this World Press Freedom Day, we ask you to consider donating to InSight Crime to help us continue the work we do exposing organized crime and criminal leaders in the Americas.
This is a costly, complex, and at times dangerous job, but one we consider to be essential to improving citizen security across the Americas.
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** Impact
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What We Do > ([link removed])
InSight Crime’s expertise was in heavy demand over the last week.
Firstly, our recent investigation, “The Informants of Tibú: How the Colombian State Unleashed a Wave of Femicides ([link removed]) ," was republished ([link removed]) in full in Colombian newspaper El Espectador, and promoted ([link removed]) by the Global Investigative Journalism Network.
Investigator and Ecuador expert Anastasia Austin was interviewed ([link removed]) by CNN for her thoughts on Ecuador’s security referendum as it faces down a chronic security crisis.
Fellow investigator Christopher Newton also provided his insights ([link removed]) to Latin America Advisor on Uruguay’s fight against drug trafficking.
And InSight Crime Chief Operating Officer María Elena Ortegón appeared ([link removed]) as a panelist in a discussion on sustainability challenges for social impact organizations.
Read the Tibú investigation > ([link removed])
See more coverage from Ecuador > ([link removed])
** This Week's Criminal Profile: Jimmy Chérizier, alias ‘Barbecue’ ([link removed])
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Former Haiti police officer Jimmy Chérizier, alias “Barbecue,” ([link removed]) is a leader of gang alliance “Viv Ansanm" (Living Together), made up of the Haiti’s major gang federations including former enemies ([link removed]) , G9 and G-Pep.
Barbecue founded the alliance last year, reportedly to bring down the administration of then Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Henry was recently forced to resign ([link removed]) , and a transitional government voted in his temporary successor this week.
Viv Ansanm has attacked police stations, blocked roads, and freed over 4,000 inmates from prison. Barbecue says that the group wants a place at the table as the new government charts Haiti’s future.
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Read our Barbecue profile > ([link removed])
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Read our Haiti coverage > ([link removed])
** Media Mentions
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About Us > ([link removed])
April 21, 2024
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“Unless the government fixes its problems with corruption, the crackdown on prisons is unlikely to have any long-term effect,” said Christopher Newton, an investigator at Colombia-based research organization InSight Crime.”
Read our Argentina coverage > ([link removed])
** Our Trending Topics
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PANAMA ([link removed])
CENTRAL GENERAL STAFF ([link removed])
TREN DE ARAGUA ([link removed])
HAITI ([link removed])
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