This week, InSight Crime analyzed how US President-elect Donald Trump's immigration policy could favor criminal groups involved in migrant smuggling
** Weekly InSight
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December 12, 2024
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This week, InSight Crime analyzed how US President-elect Donald Trump's ([link removed]) immigration policy could favor criminal groups involved in migrant smuggling, and how mass deportation and border fortification could bring greater demand, higher prices, and new opportunities for smugglers in Mexico. In the background, a war between criminal factions and corrupt officials amplifies the risks faced by migrants trying to cross, making them vulnerable to kidnapping and extortion.
We also assess the complexity of global drug trafficking following the recent Operation Orion ([link removed]) , which was led by Colombia and seized more than 1,400 tons of drugs; we ponder reports of a brutal massacre of more than 100 people ([link removed]) in Haiti that shows the depths of criminal control over Port-au-Prince; we navigate the growing list of criminal allegations against the so-called “Porn King,” ([link removed]) a Canadian real estate magnate who recently had more than 3,500 archaeological pieces seized in Honduras; and we analyze a major case of corruption in the Bahamian police. ([link removed])
** Featured
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** What Trump’s Hardline Immigration Policy Means for Crime on the US-Mexico Border ([link removed])
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President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to clamp down on undocumented migrants could play into the hands of criminal groups who stand to profit from higher prices and fresh opportunities if the chaos and confusion expected from his second administration transpire.
While the specifics of Trump’s migrant policy are not yet known, the broad strokes appear clear: mass deportation and fortification of the border. And some migrant advocates told InSight Crime they were already seeing the Trump effect, with regards to the possible fortification of the border.
Read the article > ([link removed])
** Event | Criminal GameChangers
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On January 10, 2025, we will host a virtual panel in English where our researchers and series authors will share their field experiences, and discuss the criminal landscape and challenges for the coming year. The event will follow the release of our annual Criminal GameChangers series, which kicks off on December 23. To watch the event, please make a donation starting at $10. Meeting details will be sent to the registered email address when you donate.
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** News Analysis
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** After Historic International Crackdown, Are Multinational Drug Ops the Future? ([link removed])
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A recent international anti-drug operation seized 1,400 tons of drugs laid bare the size and complexity of the global drug trade … ([link removed])
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** Canadian ‘Porn King’ Accused of Looting Honduran Cultural Artifacts ([link removed])
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Over 3,500 archaeological items have been recovered from the house of a controversial Canadian property magnate in Honduras … ([link removed])
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** Harrowing Massacre Underscores Depth of Gang Control in Haiti ([link removed])
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Reports of a chilling massacre in Haiti highlight the depth of criminal control in the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince … ([link removed])
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** Bahamas Police in Turmoil Over US Drug Trafficking Case ([link removed])
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The Bahamas police force is engulfed in a scandal following US allegations of a police-sanctioned cocaine trafficking scheme … ([link removed])
** Impact
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James Bargent, a researcher with InSight Crime, spoke on Altavoz Ecuador's Cuesta Arriba morning television program to discuss our latest investigation, “Behind Bars, Beyond Control: The Fall of Ecuador’s Prisons and the Rise of Its Mafias.” The investigation explores one of the region's most pressing security crises and one of the most important issues on Ecuador's political agenda.
Read the full series > ([link removed])
Watch the interview > ([link removed])
** This Week's Criminal Profile: The Lobos
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Last week, we published the investigation “Behind Bars, Beyond Control: The Fall of Ecuador’s Prisons and the Rise of Its Mafias,” which explored the crisis in Ecuador's prisons at the hands of criminal groups such as the Lobos.
In just a few years, the Lobos have gone from being a splinter group of Ecuador's most powerful criminal gang, the Choneros, to one of Ecuador's most influential and innovative criminal organizations. Created in the prisons, the Lobos emerged as an independent criminal group in 2021 when they led a breakaway coalition of gangs that declared war on the Choneros.
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See our profile on the Lobos > ([link removed])
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Read the full investigation > ([link removed])
** Multimedia
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"Fabio Ochoa Vásquez, one of Latin America's old-school drug traffickers and a key Medellín Cartel operative, has just been released from prison in the US and he is expected to be deported home to Colombia"
Watch the full video > ([link removed])
** Media Mentions
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December 6
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"InSight Crime, a foundation that analyzes organized crime, has warned that record-breaking seizures made this year suggest the Caribbean is resurfacing as a major trafficking route from Colombia to Europe, where consumption is estimated to have more than doubled between 2011 and last year."
Read the investigation > ([link removed])
** Trending: Former Colombian Drug Lord ‘Chupeta’ Released From Prison in the US
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Former Norte del Valle Cartel leader Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia, alias “Chupeta,” who was detained in Brazil in 2007, is known for orchestrating many drug-related killings, exporting hundreds of tons of cocaine for the Sinaloa Cartel, and evading capture by changing his face with plastic surgery.
He was released from US prison this week after reaching a plea deal. Chupeta was a key witness in the trial against Joaquín Guzmán Loera, alias “El Chapo.”
Read our coverage of the “El Chapo” trial > ([link removed])
Support our work
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InSight Crime is sponsored by:
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Open Society Foundations ([link removed])
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency ([link removed])
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