This week, InSight Crime investigated allegations that Venezuelan government officials were involved in extorting money from political detainees.
** Weekly InSight
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September 26, 2024
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This week, InSight Crime investigated allegations that Venezuelan government officials were involved in extorting money ([link removed]) from political detainees after the United States imposed sanctions on 16 individuals. According to the US Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control, members of the Venezuelan security forces were involved in kidnappings and murder for hire, echoing the actions of these institutions in previous police operations.
Also this week, we review the string of prison directors
murdered ([link removed]) by gangs in Ecuador; analyze a study on what makes Central America ([link removed]) a fertile territory for coca crops; and talk to Lucas Silva, author of a book on one of the most important corruption ([link removed]) cases in Uruguay following the early release of its central figure, Alejandro Astesiano, the former head of security for President Luis Lacalle Pou.
** Latest Investigation
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In 2023, Ecuador recorded its most violent year in history.
The nation’s homicide rate overtook historically violent countries like Honduras, Mexico, and Colombia, even as its fragmenting criminal groups preyed on average citizens to finance their internal battles.
Amid this turmoil, Durán, a southern city just across a river from Guayaquil, emerged as an epicenter of violence. The municipality saw Ecuador’s most extreme swing in violence as criminal groups waged a brutal battle for key posts in the municipal government and control of communities whose vulnerable populations form a captive pool of recruits, victims, and drug users.
This investigation is a culmination of months of fieldwork in Guayaquil and Durán and over 150 interviews. It breaks down the dynamics of organized crime in Durán and provides important context for understanding Ecuador’s national security downturn.
Read the investigation > ([link removed])
** Featured
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** Security Forces in Venezuela Extort Detainees Amid Political Repression ([link removed])
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The United States sanctioned several Venezuelan government officials for extorting money from political detainees, highlighting how President Nicolás Maduro’s administration relies on criminal rents to stay in power.
On September 12, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned 16 Venezuelan state officials for their role in obstructing the July 28 presidential elections and violating human rights.
Read the article > ([link removed])
Explore our Venezuela coverage > ([link removed])
** News Analysis
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** Uruguay Corruption in Spotlight After Ex-Official’s Release From Prison ([link removed])
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The former chief of presidential security in Uruguay was released from prison after serving time on organized crime charges. ([link removed])
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** Central America Primed for Coca Expansion, Study Finds ([link removed])
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Nearly half of northern Central America has the ideal agricultural conditions for growing coca, the raw material for cocaine, according to … ([link removed])
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** Ecuador Gangs Target Prison Chiefs to Regain Control ([link removed])
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The murder of the head of Ecuador’s largest men’s prison appears to be the latest act of violence by prison gangs in their ongoing attempt … ([link removed])
** Impact
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What We Do > ([link removed])
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InSight Crime continues to be a leading source of information and analysis on the presence of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua in the United States. On September 20, deputy director of content Mike LaSusa appeared on Colorado Public Radio's Colorado Matters ([link removed]) news program to discuss the gang's history and reports of its activities in the Denver area. The interview adds to extensive coverage by other media outlets, including Denver7 ([link removed]) and Westword ([link removed]) , at a time when the US presidential campaign has put an international spotlight on the issue.
Listen to the interview > ([link removed])
Read our coverage of Tren de Aragua > ([link removed])
** This Week's Criminal Profile: Los Lobos
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The Lobos have emerged as Ecuador’s strongest criminal group, with over 8,000 members spread throughout Ecuador’s prisons and along major drug trafficking routes. The group has been involved in several devastating prison massacres in the country, which have killed close to 500 people since 2021.
The decline of the Lobos’ rivalshttps://insightcrime.org/ecuador-organized-crime-news/los-choneros/the Choneros ([link removed]) as the predominant criminal organization in Ecuador has left room for the Lobos to take control of a powerful gang federation that includes the Tiguerones and Chone Killers. The Lobos are also vying for control of Ecuador’s prisons, which serve as strongholds from which to direct the drug trade and its connections to Colombian and Mexican organized crime groups.
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Read our Lobos profile > ([link removed])
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See our coverage of Ecuador > ([link removed])
** Multimedia
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The Ecuadorian city of Durán went from relative obscurity to being splashed across international headlines when its homicide rate began to skyrocket in June 2023. Since President Daniel Noboa declared ([link removed]) war against Ecuador’s gangs on January 9, homicides in Durán and most of the rest of the country have dropped. But this militarized strategy has not engaged with the underlying dynamics driving violence in Durán, which have deep roots and are likely to resurface.
Read the article and see the graphs > ([link removed])
** Media Mentions
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September 24
ABC News ([link removed])
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"One of the founders of Tren de Aragua is Hector Guerrero, who was jailed years ago for killing a police officer, according to InSight Crime, a think tank that monitors organized crime in the Americas."
Read our profile of Niño Guerrero > ([link removed])
** Trending Topic: US imposes sanctions on members of the Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC)
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On September 24, the US Treasury Department announced sanctions against five individuals accused of being leaders of the Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia - AGC). The AGC is one of Colombia’s main criminal groups, profiting from drug and migrant trafficking, as well as illegal mining. See our coverage to learn more about the group’s criminal prowess in Colombia.
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Read Colombia Government Announces Peace Dialogue With AGC > ([link removed])
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Read our Colombia coverage > ([link removed])
Support our work
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