Weekly InSight

This week, InSight Crime explored criminal dynamics in Chile, where a rapid rise in kidnapping cases coincided with the arrival of the Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua. Arrests of Venezuelans implicated in kidnapping cases are up, though the gang is not the only group behind this alarming trend. 

Also this week: 

An Ecuadorian judge convicted five people, including two leaders of the Lobos criminal group, for their role in the 2023 murder of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio; in Colombia, deforestation fell to a 10-year low and criminal groups may have played a role; we also take a closer look at data showing that cattle rustling in Colombia has dropped sharply; and cocaine seizures at Europe’s two busiest ports fell, though it is unlikely to signify any abatement in cocaine flows coming from Latin America. 

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Is Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua Behind Surge in Chile Kidnappings?

The last decade has seen a 135% increase in kidnappings in Chile, with the greatest surge occurring between 2021 and 2022, which coincided with Tren de Aragua, Venezuela’s most brutal prison gang, putting down roots.

The kidnapping data, which registered 361 cases in 2013 and 850 cases last year, comes from a report released by Chile’s Attorney General’s Office. The biggest jump, between 2021 and 2022, saw kidnappings increase from 500 cases to more than 820.

Read the article here > 

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InSight Crime Co-director Jeremy McDermott shared the organization’s expertise on Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua this week with the Associated Press. US officials have expressed alarm at Tren de Aragua’s expansion, though misconceptions about the group persist. 

“Tren de Aragua is not a vertically integrated criminal structure, but rather a federation of different gangs,” McDermott explained. “There’s no evidence that the gang has set up an organizational structure in the US.”

Read our Tren de Aragua investigation >

Learn more about Tren de Aragua >

This Week's Criminal Profile: Lobos

A judge in Ecuador jailed five people, including two alleged leaders of the fearsome Lobos criminal gang, for their role in the assassination of former presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio last year. A gunman shot Villacivencio in broad daylight following a campaign rally in the capital, Quito. 

Prosecutors said alleged Lobos leader Carlos Angulo, alias “Invisible,” ordered the hit on Villavicencio from prison. Laura Castillo reportedly organized the financing and logistics of the murder. A witness told the court that the gang received $200,000 in exchange for killing Vincencio, though the ultimate motive remains unclear. Angulo and Castillo were each sentenced to 34 years and eight months in prison.

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