This week, InSight Crime revealed how the Tren de Guayana gang has capitalized on its ties with the government to control mining towns in Venezuela.
** Weekly InSight
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October 3, 2024.
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This week, InSight Crime revealed how the Tren de Guayana gang has capitalized on its ties with President Nicolás Maduro's government to control mining towns ([link removed]) in southern Venezuela. This criminal group has grown exponentially in recent years, and its ties with the state have allowed it to displace its rivals, primarily the Peru Syndicate (Sindicato de Perú).
Also this week, we report on how the
looting of archaeological heritage ([link removed]) in Peru is rising, accompanied by threats to archaeologists and land trafficking; we delve into the changes in how safe citizens feel in Latin America and the Caribbean according to an annual report on security perceptions ([link removed]) ; we analyze how a series of criminal activities show how organized crime is establishing itself in Uruguay ([link removed]) , a country that so far has no large criminal groups; and we evaluate how migrant smugglers represent an obstacle ([link removed]) to new environmental conservation measures in Panama.
** Featured
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** Tren de Guayana Gang Expands Into Southern Venezuela Mining Towns ([link removed])
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Tren de Guayana, one of Venezuela’s oldest illegal mining groups, allegedly has used ties to President Nicolás Maduro’s administration to push out other criminal groups and solidify its power in the state of Bolívar.
The group began its operations in 2007 as an urban gang in the Vista al Sol neighborhood, in the city of San Félix in Bolívar. In recent years, it has achieved absolute control over El Callao, a mining town located in southern Bolívar known for its gold deposits.
Read the article > ([link removed]) [link removed] our profile of the Guyana Train > ([link removed]) [link removed]
** News Analysis
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All News > ([link removed])
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** Criminals Set Their Sights on Peru’s Cultural Legacy ([link removed])
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The looting of archaeological heritage and land trafficking in Peru is reaching alarming levels … ([link removed])
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** El Salvador Tops Security Perceptions Survey as Chile, Ecuador Decline ([link removed])
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Latin America and the Caribbean continue to be the region with the worst citizen perception of security according to an annual report … ([link removed])
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** Uruguay Faces Rising Threat From Organized Crime ([link removed])
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A series of recent criminal activities suggests that organized crime has set its sights on Uruguay and reveals the vulnerabilities … ([link removed])
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** Migrant Smugglers Threaten Panama’s Darién Conservation Plans ([link removed])
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Panama has announced an initiative to combat environmental degradation in the Darién Gap, but entrenched criminal groups … ([link removed])
** Impact
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What We Do > ([link removed])
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InSight Crime regularly uses large data sets and field mapping to present the complex dynamics of organized crime in graphics and visual narratives. In 2023, our multimedia team produced more than 800 graphics. We regularly describe the processes behind the most complex data visualizations in our LinkedIn newsletter ([link removed]) .[link removed] the latest edition of the Data Vis ([link removed]) blog — a collection of the best data visualizations the company finds in the media — Datawrapper includes a graphic we produced to illustrate the exponential growth of violence in Durán, Ecuador, since 2010. Our research on the anatomy of violence in Durán includes multiple graphs that illustrate the spike in homicides, as well as detailing the location and other information about specific events. Explore the
full investigation and all its graphics here. ([link removed])
See all our graphics > ([link removed])
Explore our Data InSight articles > ([link removed])
** This Week's Criminal Profile: First Capital Command (PCC)
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In Uruguay, deteriorating security conditions, the absence of established rivals, and severe prison overcrowding are factors that experts say the PCC could use to its advantage to establish a presence in the country.
The First Capital Command (Primeiro Comando da Capital - PCC) is one of Brazil’s most powerful gangs.
The group was originally formed in in São Paulo in the 1990s by prisoners who organized groups to defend themselves in Brazil's violent prison system. Since then, it has waged a bloody battle for dominance across the country. In addition to a presence in almost every state in Brazil, the PCC is believed to have expanded its operations to other South American countries, as well as to Europe and Asia.
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Read our profile of the First Capital Command > ([link removed])
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See our coverage of Brazil > ([link removed])
** Media Mentions
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About us > ([link removed])
October 3
The Texas Observer ([link removed])
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"Tren de Aragua members are generally motivated by money, not a political ideology, according to Mike LaSusa, deputy director of content at InSight Crime."
Read our coverage of Tren de Aragua > ([link removed])
** Trending Topic: Gaitanistas systematically target women in Chocó, Colombia.
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The Gaitanistas emerged from the ashes of Colombia's paramilitary movement and have come to control territory across the country.
The group has allegedly circulated a list of women in the department of Chocó, threatening them for their relationships with members of rival criminal groups. The threats come as the Gaitanistas, ELN, and various local gangs battle for territory in the strategic coastal territory.
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** See our coverage on gender and crime > ([link removed])
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** Read our Gaitanistas profile > ([link removed])
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