This Week, InSight Crime won Colombia's Simón Bolívar National Journalism Prize and examined how smuggling on the Venezuela-Colombia border persists.
** Weekly InSight
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November 21, 2024
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This week, InSight Crime won Colombia's Simón Bolívar National Journalism Prize ([link removed]) for the second time, this year in the investigative journalism category for the written report,"The Informants of Tibú: How the Colombian State Unleashed a Wave of Femicides ([link removed]) ,” by Alicia Flórez and Lara Loaiza. The meticulously researched, year-long investigation exposes how women—many of them migrants—were recruited as informants by Colombia's security forces, only to be later displaced and threatened by criminal groups.
We also examined how smuggling across the Venezuela-Colombia border persists ([link removed]) despite its reopening in 2022. Distrust of Venezuelan authorities, currency disparities, and the control of criminal groups along the border continue to fuel this illicit economy. Additionally, we explored the growing reach of European criminal networks ([link removed]) in Latin America and analyzed the criminalization of prison life ([link removed]) in Brazil following the dismantling of the “canteen mafia,” and more.
** Featured
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** Smuggling Adapts to Reopening of the Colombia-Venezuela Border ([link removed])
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As darkness falls over Cúcuta, Colombia’s bustling border city, shadows provide cover for criminal networks. Each night, illegal dirt tracks connecting the city to Venezuela become highways for smuggling, with large quantities of goods slipping past law enforcement.
“While we sleep, countless things happen in the city. And yes, smuggling is one of them,” a local business leader told InSight Crime.
Read the article > ([link removed])
** NewsAnalysis
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** How ‘Canteens’ Feed Crime in Brazil’s Prisons ([link removed])
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The dismantling of the “canteen mafia” highlights the growing presence of smaller, niche criminal enterprises within Brazil’s penitentiary system. ([link removed])
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** The Rise of Global Crime Networks: European Mafias in the Americas ([link removed])
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The expansion of foreign criminal groups into Latin America has taken on a new dimension in the last decade. ([link removed])
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** Murder at Brazil’s Busiest Airport Exposes Failures in Witness Protection ([link removed])
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The assassination of a police informant in São Paulo’s main international airport has exposed…
** Coming Event
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On December 4 at 11:00 am (Quito), InSight Crime will be staging a virtual event (in Spanish) to accompany the launch of our latest investigation into the violence and criminality that has engulfed Ecuador’s prisons, “Behind Bars, Beyond Control: The Fall of Ecuador’s Prisons and the Rise of Its Mafias”. Join us to discuss the failed policies, systemic corruption, and criminal dynamics that have shaped what has become one of the biggest security challenges facing the region today.
InSight Crime investigator James Bargent will be joined by Ecuadorian investigative journalists specializing in violence, prisons, and human rights, Karol Noroña, and Jorge Nuñez, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Amsterdam and one of Ecuador’s leading experts on the prison system. The panel will be moderated by María Fernanda Ramírez, investigator at InSight Crime.
Register to the event > ([link removed])
** Impact
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InSight Crime is honored to receive Colombia’s Simón Bolívar National Journalism Prize in the investigative journalism category for text format. The award recognizes the investigation "The Informants of Tibú: How the Colombian State Unleashed a Wave of Femicides," authored by our investigators Alicia Flórez and Lara Loaiza.
This investigation recounts the story of Mar*, a woman whom the Colombian army attempted to recruit to infiltrate guerrilla groups operating in the Norte de Santander department. When the armed groups uncovered the infiltration, it triggered a violent backlash, leading to the murder, disappearance, and forced displacement of numerous women.
Read more about the award > ([link removed])
Read the investigation > ([link removed])
Join Us in Our Mission This Giving Tuesday
Citizen security is a fundamental right—one that many in the United States are fortunate to take for granted. But for millions across Latin America and the Caribbean, the reality is far different. Organized crime destabilizes communities, threatens lives, and forces many to flee their homes in search of safety.
This Giving Tuesday, we’re asking you to rally your network in support of our mission. By amplifying our work and making a donation, you help ensure that we continue to expose the truths that others seek to hide and contribute to a safer future for all.
We’ll be sharing resources and stories in the coming days to inspire action. Together, we can make this Giving Tuesday a powerful reminder of how collective efforts can create lasting change.
Thank you for your support.
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** This Week's Criminal Profile: Sinaloa Cartel
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In Catalonia, Spain, the local police force, Mossos d’Esquadra, in collaboration with the National Police, dismantled a criminal organization allegedly tied to the Sinaloa Cartel. Authorities reported that the 14 individuals arrested were involved in drug trafficking and implicated in the kidnapping and murder of a man.
Today, the Sinaloa Cartel operates as a network of drug traffickers, with two distinct chains of command. One faction remains loyal to Ismael Zambada García, alias "El Mayo," who was arrested in the United States in July 2024. The other is led by the sons of Joaquín Guzmán Loera, alias "El Chapo," known as the Chapitos. While the cartel's primary focus remains international drug trafficking to the United States, in recent years it has aggressively expanded into the synthetic drug trade, particularly fentanyl—fueling a devastating overdose crisis.
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Read our profile about the Sinaloa Cartel > ([link removed])
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See our coverage on Mexico > ([link removed])
** Media Mentions
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About us > ([link removed])
November 19
CSIS ([link removed])
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"Taken together with reporting from InSight Crime that the security services have
entered the extortion business in areas cleared of gangs, it suggests that the country may be at risk of exacerbating corruption and arms trafficking within military and police ranks."
Read our coverage of El Salvador > ([link removed])
Support our work
We go into the field to interview, report and investigate. We then verify, write and edit, providing the tools to generate real impact in fighting organized crime.
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InSight Crime is sponsored by:
American University ([link removed])
Open Society Foundations ([link removed])
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency ([link removed])
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