The organization behind the largest wildlife trafficking case in Argentina’s history.
** Weekly InSight
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August 30, 2024
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This week, we investigated ([link removed]) the organization behind the largest wildlife trafficking case in Argentina’s history. Under the guise of tourism, private companies have been able to facilitate illegal hunting and traffic thousands of animal byproducts in and out of the country.
In Mexico, we analyzed ([link removed]) the intensification of violence in the southern border state of Chiapas, which is pushing the number of displaced and missing people to unprecedented levels with civilians increasingly targeted by criminal groups.
We also covered ([link removed]) the mysterious assassination of one of Colombia’s top emerald dealers, we outlined ([link removed]) four ways that artificial intelligence in shaping organized crime in Latin America; and we explored ([link removed]) abuse of women in Guatemala’s prisons.
This and more below.
** Featured
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** Inside Argentina’s Biggest Wildlife Trafficking Bust ([link removed])
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On the outskirts of Dolores, a small town in the northeast of Buenos Aires province, Argentina, on a recent night in August, a bunch of police teams gathered at a gas station to go over the final details of the largest anti-wildlife trafficking operation in Argentina’s history.
“We had an operational meeting the night before, to avoid the police and brigade vehicles arousing any suspicion,” Emiliano Villegas, head of the wildlife branch of the Environmental Control Brigade (Brigada de Control Ambiental – BCA), a body of specialized agents from the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible – MAyDS), told InSight Crime.
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** News Analysis
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** Who Is Behind the Murder of a Powerful Colombian Emerald Dealer? ([link removed])
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Colombia’s emerald trade, renowned for the exceptional quality of its gems as well as its relentless violence, has suffered another blow to its reputation with the … ([link removed])
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** Warring Criminal Groups Are Targeting Civilians in Chiapas, Mexico ([link removed])
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An intensification of violence in the southern Mexican border state of Chiapas is pushing the number of displaced and missing people to new highs. Thousands of … ([link removed])
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** 4 Ways AI Is Shaping Organized Crime in Latin America ([link removed])
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With access to artificial intelligence increasing rapidly, some of Latin America’s organized crime groups have begun wielding it for criminal gain … ([link removed])
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** Arrests Shed Light on Abuse of Women in Guatemala’s Prisons ([link removed])
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Guatemalan authorities have made multiple busts of prison guards involved in sexual exploitation schemes that victimize women behind bars … ([link removed])
** Impact
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What We Do > ([link removed])
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InSight Crime’s work on the collaborative journalism project, NarcoFiles: The New Criminal Order, helped it win an annual in-depth journalism award ([link removed]) from the Inter-American Press Association (Sociedad Interamericana de Prensa - SIP), announced on August 28. The NarcoFiles project, led by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) in partnership with Centro Latinoamericano de Investigación Periodística (CLIP), began with a leak of emails from the Colombian Prosecutor’s Office that was shared with InSight Crime and more than 40 media outlets around the world.
We and our partners examined and corroborated the materials along with hundreds of other documents, databases, and interviews. And we published a series of stories shedding new light on organized crime in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Read our contributions to the project > ([link removed])
** Media Mentions
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LA Times ([link removed])
August 21, 2024
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“Christopher Newton, an investigator at Colombia-based research organization InSight Crime, said that corruption in Paraguay was entrenched through all political parties, at all levels.”
Read our Paraguay coverage > ([link removed])
** This Week's Criminal Profile: Tren de Aragua
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Tren de Aragua, Venezuela’s first criminal group to project its influence abroad, has been in the spotlight in recent weeks for its expansion and supposed threat to regional security. But how accurate are notions around the group’s runaway growth and potential ‘invasion’ of the United States.
The group’s expansion from prison-gang to transnational organization came on the backs of Venezuelan migrants across the region and spread most prominently to Colombia, Peru, and Chile. However, its geographic expansion has not necessarily been matched by coherent strategic growth. InSight Crime research indicates ([link removed]) that many alleged Tren de Aragua cells may only have tenuous links to the group – or even be using the name to cause intimidation.
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Read our Tren de Aragua profile > ([link removed])
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Read our Venezuela coverage > ([link removed])
** Multimedia
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“Between 2019 and 2023, the number of missing people reported in Chiapas tripled, according to data from the National Search Commission (Comisión Nacional de Búsqueda), an upward trajectory that shows no sign of slowing.”
Read our latest analysis from Chiapas > ([link removed])
** Trending Topic: Violence and Displacement in Chiapas, Mexico
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Chiapas has long been a battleground for warring criminal groups due to its strategic position for trafficking routes from neighboring Guatemala, causing mass displacement and disappearances in the state.
Conflict in the state has intensified in recent months, including attacks on civilians and state forces. This escalation has driven displacement to new highs ([link removed]) in Chiapas, with 12,771 victims of displacement during the first seven months of 2024 alone – a spike from 4,562 in the whole of 2023.
To understand how organized crime drives violence and displacement in Chiapas, read our analysis below.
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** What Is Behind the Criminal Conflict Raging in Chiapas, Mexico? ([link removed])
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** Chiapas Bleeds as CJNG, Sinaloa Cartel Fight for Guatemala Trafficking Routes ([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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