Weekly InSight

This week, as Venezuela prepares for its upcoming presidential elections on Sunday, July 28, we analyzed 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 how the Jalisco Cartel New Generation uses forced disappearances and corruption to tighten its grip on Guadalajara’s growing drug market; we discussed the innovative ways that Colombian criminal groups evade authorities to traffic drugs with the director of a research center on maritime trafficking; we investigated the growing presence of armed gangs in Ecuador’s illegal mining industry; and we explained the mounting pressure Kenyan police face in their fight against gangs in Haiti. 


This and more below.

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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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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 and read more of our Venezuela coverage.


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This Week's Criminal Profile: Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG)

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 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. 

Trending Topic: Presidential Elections in Venezuela

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’s research and analysis.

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