Latin America’s predatory organ industry is fueled by corruption and desperation with licit medical professionals wielding the knife.


** Weekly InSight
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August 2, 2024

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This week, we investigated ([link removed]) Latin America’s predatory organ industry, a criminal economy often depicted as an urban myth, that is fueled by corruption and desperation with licit medical professionals wielding the knife.

We also explained ([link removed]) why the historic arrest of two of the Sinaloa Cartel’s most-wanted drug traffickers is likely to have a limited effect on stemming the synthetic drug tide.

Additionally, we outlined ([link removed]) the likely impacts that Venezuela’s presidential election will have on the country’s criminal landscape; we reviewed ([link removed]) the rise in cocaine seizures in the French Caribbean; and we analyzed ([link removed]) how Costa Rica plans to use extradition to tackle mounting judicial corruption.

This and more below.


** Featured
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** How Latin America’s Organ Trafficking Industry Preys on Migration ([link removed])
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María Amalia Matamoros found herself in a difficult position in late June 2024, when she got a message from her friend Marcos*, asking if it was possible to sell an organ for as much as $200,000.

Matamoros, a Costa Rican surgeon and former president of the Latin American and Caribbean Transplant Society (Sociedad de Trasplante de América Latina y el Caribe – STALYC), told Marcos it was illegal and warned him about the dangers of exploitation and botched operations.

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** News Analysis
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** Predictions for Venezuela’s Post-Election Criminal Landscape ([link removed])
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Nicolás Maduro claimed another six years in power after a disputed election, which will result in another wave of migration and Venezuela cementing its position …
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** What Is Behind the Surge in Cocaine Seizures in the French Caribbean in 2024? ([link removed])
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Record-breaking cocaine seizures in the French Caribbean in 2024 appear to be the result of rampant cocaine manufacturing in Latin America, along with increased cooperation …
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** Costa Rica Considers Extradition to Counter Growing Judicial Corruption ([link removed])
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Costa Rican lawmakers have advanced a proposed constitutional amendment to allow the extradition of Costa Rican drug traffickers and …
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** Sinaloa Cartel Leaders Arrested in Symbolic, but Hollow Victory for US ([link removed])
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In a stunning turn of events, two of the Sinaloa Cartel’s most-wanted drug traffickers are in custody in the United States, marking a historic moment for organized crime in …


** Impact
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InSight Crime has been at the heart of discussions in the global media this week, analyzing the organized crime implications of two breaking news stories that have captured international attention.

InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott spoke with Blu Radio ([link removed]) about how Venezuela’s election results will affect the country's criminal landscape, as well as the disruptive influence it might have on the peace process in neighboring Colombia.

Co-director Steven Dudley and investigators Parker Asmann and Victoria Dittmar were also interviewed by CNN en Español ([link removed]) , The Guardian ([link removed]) , and Deutsche Welle ([link removed]) respectively on the arrest of the Sinaloa Cartel leaders Ismael Zambada García, alias “El Mayo,” and Joaquín Guzmán López. “It’s a historic capture, of course, and symbolic,” Dudley told CNN. “But is it going to create a collateral effect or have an impact on drug trafficking? I really doubt that.”

Read our Venezuela coverage > ([link removed])

Read our Mexico coverage > ([link removed])


** This Week's Criminal Profile: Sinaloa Cartel
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Sinaloa Cartel leaders Ismael Zambada García, alias “El Mayo,” and Joaquín Guzmán López, the son of the now-jailed former kingpin, Joaquín Guzmán Loera, alias “El Chapo,” were arrested in El Paso, Texas on July 25 in an ostensible victory for US law enforcement. But what does it mean for the future of Mexico’s most powerful drug trafficking group?

While there is likely to be a period of uncertainty within the cartel that may result in violence, the arrests will not stop the group from continuing business as usual. El Mayo had already taken a step back from operations, so his detention is more symbolic than disruptive, and the decentralized structure of the synthetic drugs supply chain means that these arrests are unlikely to upend the flow of drugs that the group traffics worldwide.
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Read our Sinaloa Cartel profile > ([link removed])
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Read our Mexico coverage > ([link removed])


** Multimedia
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July 29, 2024

#sinaloa #chapito #elmayozamabada

"On July 25, the US Justice Department announced that storied cartel boss Ismael Zambada García, alias “El Mayo” and Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of the now-jailed former kingpin Joaquín Guzmán Loera, alias “El Chapo,” were arrested in El Paso, Texas."

Watch full video > ([link removed])


** Trending Topic: Venezuela Presidential Elections
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Venezuela’s electoral authority declared Nicolás Maduro the winner of the presidential elections held on July 28. But the opposition has contested the results, decrying fraud.

InSight Crime has investigated the country’s complex criminal landscape and its evolution during Maduro’s previous two terms in office.

To find out more, read these highlighted articles and explore the Venezuela Crime Observatory’s ([link removed]) research and analyses.
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** Rise of the Criminal Hybrid State in Venezuela ([link removed])
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** Venezuela’s Armed Non-State Actors Bolster Maduro in Election Lead-Up ([link removed])
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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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InSight Crime is sponsored by:
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