This week, InSight Crime assessed how the power of the Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia could affect peace talks with the government.
** Weekly InSight
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October 17, 2024
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This week, InSight Crime assessed how the power of the Gaitanista Self-Defense Forces of Colombia ([link removed]) (Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia - AGC) could affect peace talks with the Colombian government, according to a report detailing the criminal group's expansion. Its growth, structure and eagerness to be considered a political actor threaten the “Total Peace” policy that seeks to end Colombia's conflict by negotiating with the country's armed and criminal actors.
In addition, we address the evolution of narco tanks ([link removed]) into a powerful tactical tool for criminal groups in Mexico; analyze the use of influencers by an Argentine cyber-gang ([link removed]) to legitimize illegal gambling websites; delve into why states of emergency ([link removed]) are such a popular measure in Latin American and Caribbean countries; and explore the significance of the US sentencing of former Mexican public security chief Genaro García Luna ([link removed]) for accepting bribes from drug traffickers.
** Featured
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** Power Play or Peace? AGC’s Role in Colombia’s Fragile Negotiations ([link removed])
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The strength of Colombia’s powerful AGC criminal group will pose a serious challenge in nascent peace negotiations, according to a recent report, raising concerns the group lacks genuine interest in peace and may use the talks to solidify its criminal clout.
The nonprofit Fundación Ideas Para la Paz (FIP) published a report on October 7 about the Gaitanist Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia – AGC), also known as the Gaitanistas or Clan del Golfo, outlining the group’s growth over the last decade and how it complicates prospects for peace talks that restarted earlier this year.
Read the article > ([link removed])
Read our coverage of peace in Colombia > ([link removed])
** News Analysis
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** Mexico’s Narco Tanks Are Going From Impractical to Tactical ([link removed])
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The use of Mexico’s now-legendary narco tanks in face-offs between criminal groups is growing, and technological innovations…
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** From Fame to Fraud: How Argentina’s Influencers Help Illegal Gambling. ([link removed])
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A cyber crime group in Argentina used social media influencers to legitimize its illegal gambling websites…
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** Why Do Latin American Governments Keep Betting on States of Emergency? ([link removed])
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Several Latin American countries have recently declared or prolonged states of emergency aimed at combating organized crime…
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** Mexico’s Former Security Chief Just Got Decades in Prison. But Will That Curtail Cartel Corruption? ([link removed])
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One of the masterminds of Mexico’s militarized approach to combating organized crime was sentenced… ([link removed])
** Impact
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On October 8, InSight Crime received an honorable mention at the 2024 Maria Moors Cabot Prizes. Jeremy McDermott, co-founder of InSight Crime, addressed the audience and highlighted the importance of sources in the work the organization does in its coverage of organized crime.
“Behind every story is a crucial player: our sources. They show heroic courage in talking to us”, McDermott said.
The LatAm Journalism Review digital magazine published by the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas covered the award ceremony ([link removed]) and highlighted the moment.
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** Multimedia
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One of the masterminds of Mexico’s militarized approach to combating organized crime was sentenced to more than 38 years in prison in the United States. The sentencing came at a critical time for the US-Mexico security relationship and was a symbolic victory for the US government in its fight against corruption.
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** Media Mentions
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October 16
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"As a child, Garcia Luna dreamed of being a football player. Instead, before even becoming an adult, he was recruited by the security services as an informant, according to the InSight Crime think tank. ([link removed]) "
Read the article > ([link removed])
** This Week's Criminal Profile: The Zetas
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The Zetas, a group born out of deserters from an elite unit of the Mexican armed forces in the service of the Gulf Cartel, were the first to use narco tanks in the early 2010s. They went on to become one of Mexico's most powerful and feared armed groups until infighting and the loss of key leaders led to the organization's decline.
Now, the Zetas are a fragmented organization, united by little more than a name and increasingly dependent on local criminal revenues rather than the transnational flow of drugs.
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Read our profile of the Zetas > ([link removed])
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See our coverage of Mexico > ([link removed])
** Trending Topic: Coca Cultivation Continues to Expand Outside Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia
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Coca, the raw plant ingredient needed to produce cocaine, is taking firmer root in Ecuador. The country's President Daniel Noboa claimed this week that coca cultivation has reached 2,000 hectares there. Criminal groups are pushing coca to new locations around the region.
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** Read our coverage about coca > ([link removed])
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** Read Central America Primed for Coca Expansion, Study Finds > ([link removed])
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