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This week, InSight Crime examined how criminal groups in Ecuador are exploiting the rapidly expanding private security sector, which has close ties to the government. Several cases have revealed how criminals have allegedly used some private security companies to legitimize their operations, smuggle weapons, and launder money.
We also look at "express kidnappings" in Ecuador through the account of a survivor; analyze the growing criminal activities of the dissidents from the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in Huila, Colombia; delve into the ongoing battle for control of Rio de Janeiro between the Red Command and the militias that have dominated the city's poorest neighborhoods for at least a decade; and review a statistical model’s grim forecast on homicides in Trinidad and Tobago. |
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Private security companies have proliferated in Ecuador as crime rates soar, but mounting evidence of criminal infiltration suggests the industry may be serving the interests of criminals as much as the private sector and the government.
One notable case involves Carlos Joel G.C., alias "Carlitos," a drug trafficker from Guayaquil who, according to the Ministry of Interior, ran one of the country's "largest and most sophisticated" organizations. Carlitos used a fleet of armored vehicles to transport cocaine to shrimp farms surrounding Guayaquil's numerous estuaries, where speedboats then ferried tons of drugs to cargo ships near the city's port terminals.
Read the article > |
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| | Criminal activity has escalated in a key transit corridor in southern Colombia, driven by divisions between ex-FARC factions in the … |
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Next Week: Virtual event on crime in Durán. |
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Join us on Thursday, September 26 at 11:00 am (Quito) for a virtual event to discuss the findings of our investigation, “Durán: A Window into the Explosion of Organized Crime in Ecuador,” which will be published that same morning.
Panelists include InSight Crime co-director Steven Dudley and Ecuadorian journalists and InSight Crime collaborators Alina Manrique and Leonardo Gómez Ponce. The panel will be moderated by Katherine Herrera, a consultant and expert in Ecuadorian security.
See more event details and save the date > |
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On September 3, InSight Crime released a video showing Carlos Zelaya, brother-in-law to Honduras’ President Xiomara Castro, negotiating bribes with drug traffickers.
Within minutes, the publication had made headlines across major media outlets in the region. To date we have tracked nearly 1,000 media mentions, primarily from outlets in Honduras, Mexico, and the United States.
The videos, which have garnered 119,000 views, prompted President Xiomara Castro to issue a public statement condemning "any negotiations between politicians and drug traffickers," while accusing the report of being part of a U.S. government conspiracy to destabilize her administration.
Read the article > Watch the full video > |
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This Week's Criminal Profile: Los Choneros |
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Los Choneros is one of Ecuador's most notorious criminal groups, first emerging in the late '90s as a drug trafficking network based in the coastal city of Manta on Ecuador's Pacific coast.
One of its former leaders, Junior Roldán, alias "JR," had ties to a security company registered under his ex-partner and son's names. Before his assassination in May 2023, JR used the company for PR activities, such as handing out gifts in a neighborhood near Guayaquil. Explore our profile of Los Choneros to learn how this criminal group capitalized on Ecuador’s expanding private security industry. |
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| "A decade ago, gangs like MS-13 and Barrio 18 terrorized communities, and El Salvador was the most violent nation in the Western Hemisphere, according to InSight Crime."
See our coverage on El Salvador > |
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Trending Topic: El Mencho's Son Faces Drug Trafficking Trial in the U.S. |
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Rubén Oseguera González, alias "El Menchito," son of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and also known as “El Mencho,” had his first hearing for drug trafficking and other charges in Washington. Read more about the former second-in-command of the CJNG and what his trial could mean for crime in Mexico. |
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