This week, InSight Crime received a mention at the Maria Moors Cabot awards and investigated violence against women as a weapon of war among gangs.
** Weekly InSight
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October 10, 2024
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This week, InSight Crime received a special mention from Columbia University's prestigious Maria Moors Cabot Prizes ([link removed]) for our coverage of organized crime in the Americas over the past 15 years.
Continuing with our mission, we covered the publication of a list of nearly 30 women threatened by a criminal group for being linked to rival gang members in Colombia, delving into how criminal groups use femicides, humiliation, and other forms of gender-based violence ([link removed]) as a weapon of war and a mechanism for territorial control.
In addition, we analyzed the challenges posed by the beheading of a Mexican mayor ([link removed]) for the country's new president, Claudia Sheinbaum; we explained what we know about the alleged presence and activities of Tren de Aragua in the United States ([link removed]) ; we discussed with the director of AMERIPOL's Cybercrime Center the alarming increase in cybercrime ([link removed]) in Latin America; and we looked into accusations ([link removed]) the DEA delayed reporting human rights abuses by its partners in the region.
** Featured
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** Violence Against Women Is Being Used as a Weapon of War in Colombia. Again.
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In Quibdó, Colombia, local criminal gangs have put women in their crosshairs because of their links to rival groups, resorting to gender-based violence as a strategy for territorial control.
In early September, the Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia – AGC) disseminated a list with the names and photographs of at least 27 women via WhatsApp chats. All of the women had some kind of relationship with members of other criminal groups operating in Quibdo, the capital of Colombia’s Pacific coast department of Chocó. The strategy was dubbed “Plan Feminicidio” by the group.
Read the article > ([link removed])
Read our coverage of gender and crime > ([link removed])
** NewsAnalysis
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** Mayor’s Beheading Is Ominous Sign of Security Crisis Facing Mexico’s New President ([link removed])
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Unknown assailants murdered and decapitated the recently elected local mayor … ([link removed])
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** What We Know About Tren de Aragua’s US Presence ([link removed])
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Tren de Aragua’s supposed expansion into the United States has received national media coverage and attention from the country’s most prominent politicians … ([link removed])
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** Borders Are No Barrier to Booming Cyber Crime, and Authorities Must Adapt ([link removed])
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There has been an alarming increase in cyber crime in Latin America in recent years ([link removed]) …
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** DEA Under Fire for Delaying Reports on Foreign Partners’ Security Abuses ([link removed])
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The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the main agency investigating organized … ([link removed])
** Impact
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This week, InSight Crime received a special mention from Columbia University’s prestigious Maria Moors Cabot Prizes for outstanding reporting in the Americas.
The jury praised our work in deepening understanding of organized crime and its impact in the Americas with on-the-ground investigative reporting, data analysis, and research into criminal dynamics. They also recognized that our fearless reporting and rigorous investigations have made us a resource for journalists, academics, civil society leaders, government officials, and policymakers who want to learn more about organized crime.
Read more about the award > ([link removed])
Explore our investigations > ([link removed])
** This Week's Criminal Profile: Larry Amaury Álvarez Núñez, alias ‘Larry Changa’
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Recently, the alleged presence of the Tren de Aragua in the United States became the center of national political debate, received extensive media coverage, and generated debates among politicians. The criminal organization took advantage of the large-scale migration of Venezuelans to evolve from a prison gang to a criminal empire with a transnational presence.
“Larry Changa” is one of the co-founders and original leaders of the Tren de Aragua. He was born in 1977 in Venezuela and began his criminal career by stealing vehicles and spare parts in the states of Aragua and Carabobo in the late 1990s. Changa’s reputation grew outside his home country, and his experience and leadership were instrumental in the organization’s cells being established in Chile.
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Read our profile of Larry Changa > ([link removed])
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See our coverage of Venezuela > ([link removed])
** Multimedia
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More than 50,000 forest fires are currently burning in Brazil, according to the Igarapé Institute, a Brazilian think tank. Across Amazonian nations, organized crime acts as an accelerator of forest destruction, with criminal groups exploiting weak state governance in remote areas to exert control over the region’s lucrative environmental resources.
Our investigation, “Stolen Amazon ([link removed]) ”, documents how criminal groups exploit the Amazon, the destruction they cause, and what governments in Amazonian nations can do to address the growing threat that organized crime poses to indigenous populations and the environment.
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Read the investigation > ([link removed])
** Media Mentions
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October 8
France 24 ([link removed])
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"Violence has also escalated in Chiapas state, located on Mexico's southern border, described by the InSight Crime think tank as "a major smuggling hub of both drugs and migrants."
Read our coverage of Mexico > ([link removed])
** Trending Topic: Violence Surges in Callao, Peru During State of Emergency
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As extortion gangs rise in Peru, groups have begun warring over territory. The violence has hit the port city Callao particularly hard, as the trafficking hub faces yet another wave of killings. Meanwhile the government declared a new state of emergency as it struggles to rein in crime.
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** How Important Is Peru’s Port of Callao for Cocaine Trade? ([link removed])
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** Organized Crime in Peru ([link removed])
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Read our coverage of Peru > ([link removed])
Support our work
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InSight Crime is sponsored by:
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