Venezuela prepares for its upcoming presidential elections on Sunday, July 28
** Weekly InSight
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July 26, 2024
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This week, as Venezuela prepares for its upcoming presidential elections on Sunday, July 28, we analyzed ([link removed]) the role of organized crime in tilting the scales in favor of President Nicolás Maduro. State and non-state forces have used judicial processes, threats, and physical violence to intimidate opposition candidates and their supporters. This election will not only be a defining moment for the future of the country’s democracy but also for the current administration’s criminal allies.
We also analyzed ([link removed]) how the Jalisco Cartel New Generation uses forced disappearances and corruption to tighten its grip on Guadalajara’s growing drug market; we discussed ([link removed]) the innovative ways that Colombian criminal groups evade authorities to traffic drugs with the director of a research center on maritime trafficking; we investigated ([link removed]) the growing presence of armed gangs in Ecuador’s illegal mining industry; and we explained ([link removed]) the mounting pressure Kenyan police face in their fight against gangs in Haiti.
This and more below.
** Featured
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** How Maduro’s Criminal Regime is Tilting Venezuela’s Election ([link removed])
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This Sunday’s presidential elections will define not only the democratic future of Venezuela but its criminal evolution, and President Nicolás Maduro has deployed illegal and repressive tools in a bid to cement his power for another six years.
"If they do not want Venezuela to fall into a bloodbath, into a fratricidal civil war caused by fascists, let us guarantee the greatest success, the greatest victory in the electoral history of our people," said Maduro during a campaign event in the capital, Caracas, on July 17.
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** News Analysis
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** Pressure Grows for Kenyan Police Fighting Haiti’s Gangs ([link removed])
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As hundreds of Kenyan police officers work to support Haiti’s embattled police force, concerns about their ability to thwart the country’s powerful street gangs … ([link removed])
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** As Government Pressure Mounts, Ecuador’s Armed Gangs Strike Gold ([link removed])
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After a 24-hour search party in the early days of July, police and military were met with gunfire as they descended on an informal mining camp near the town of … ([link removed])
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** Latin American Drug Traffickers Evade Authorities With Unmanned Vessels and Chemical Innovations ([link removed])
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Latin American drug networks are increasingly using unmanned vessels and employing new … ([link removed])
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** How Mexico’s CJNG Controls Guadalajara’s Expanding Drug Market ([link removed])
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One of Mexico’s most powerful crime groups, the Jalisco Cartel New Generation (Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación – CJNG), is employing forced disappearance and … ([link removed])
** Impact
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What We Do > ([link removed])
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On Tuesday, July 30, InSight Crime will host a live panel, in Spanish, with co-director Jeremy McDermott and three other Venezuela experts to discuss the results and implications of Venezuela’s July 28 elections, as well as analyzing the deeply rooted role of organized crime in the country’s politics.
Through on-the-ground coverage analysis, InSight Crime continues to provide clear and authoritative analysis of organized crime in Venezuela. To find out more, explore the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory ([link removed]*1lwqx6a*_gcl_au*MTg3NDgyMzEwOC4xNzE0NzQyODkzLjYzOTU3NjMzMi4xNzE2OTE1MDQ0LjE3MTY5MTUwNDQ.) and read more of our Venezuela coverage ([link removed]) .
Check out our X > ([link removed])
Visit the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory > ([link removed]*1lwqx6a*_gcl_au*MTg3NDgyMzEwOC4xNzE0NzQyODkzLjYzOTU3NjMzMi4xNzE2OTE1MDQ0LjE3MTY5MTUwNDQ.)
** This Week's Criminal Profile: Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG)
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The bloody dispute between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación - CJNG) and the Sinaloa Cartel for control over trafficking routes across the Guatemalan border has intensified with a wave of reported killings, blockades, and forced recruitment in the state of Chiapas.
InSight Crime analysis has also shown ([link removed]) that the CJNG, known for its aggressive use of violence and public relations campaigns, uses forced disappearances and exploits political corruption to maintain a tight grip on the growing drug market in Guadalajara.
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Read our CJNG profile > ([link removed])
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Read our Mexico coverage > ([link removed])
** Multimedia
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July 23, 2024
#AUC
"The former paramilitary commander Salvatore Mancuso was released from prison after nearly five months behind bars after returning to Colombia. Mancuso was one of the principal leaders of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia and led the paramilitary expansion towards the north of the country."
Watch full video > ([link removed])
** Trending Topic: Presidential Elections in Venezuela
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After an electoral period marked by violence, repression, and intimidation by security forces and non-state armed groups, Venezuela will hold its presidential elections on July 28.
For over a year, we have been analyzing the role that organized crime may play in these elections, based on their involvement in past elections and recent developments.
To find out more, read these highlighted articles and explore the Venezuela Crime Observatory ([link removed]) ’s research and analysis.
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** Venezuela 2024: Elections and Criminal Consolidation ([link removed])
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Read the article > ([link removed])
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** Rise of the Criminal Hybrid State in Venezuela ([link removed])
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Read the investigation > ([link removed])
Support out work
We go into the field to interview, report and investigate. We then verify, write and edit, providing the tools to generate real impact in fighting organized crime.
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