This is the last edition of Weekly InSight for this year. Over the next few weeks, we will publish our annual Criminal GameChangers series.
** Weekly InSight
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December 19, 2024
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This week, InSight Crime looked at how changes in the supply of fentanyl ([link removed]) and the proliferation of “M30” pills in the United States could explain a reduction in overdose deaths.
Elsewhere, we connect the rise of extortion in Honduras ([link removed]) with the emergence of new, smaller criminal groups; review the most-read criminal actor ([link removed]) and group profiles ([link removed]) during 2024, and analyze the expansion of domestic and foreign criminal groups in Chile ([link removed]) .
This is the last edition of Weekly InSight for this year. Over the next few weeks, we will publish our annual Criminal GameChangers series, beginning on December 23 and running through January 6. You will receive each new chapter directly to your inbox. On January 10, we will have an exclusive donor event ([link removed]) to discuss the series with our directors and our most experienced in-field investigators.
** Featured
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** Do Changes in Mexico’s Fentanyl Production Explain a Drop in US Overdoses? ([link removed])
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Kevin González was at a point of total desperation when he decided to check himself into an addiction treatment center in the Mexican city of Nogales, in the state of Sonora, on the US border.
After more than a decade of using fentanyl and other opioids in Phoenix, Arizona, González said his body could no longer find relief from the usual doses. The pain, insomnia, and anxiety of withdrawal were unbearable, and the pills on the streets lacked enough potency to take effect.
“I was consuming 50 fentanyl pills a day, sometimes smoking four at a time. They weren’t enough,” González told InSight Crime in November when he was three months into treatment.
Read the article > ([link removed])
** News Analysis
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All News > ([link removed])
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** Extortion Rise in Honduras Signals Emergence of New Criminal Players ([link removed])
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Extortion appears to be increasing in Honduras as smaller gangs fill the gap left by larger groups who are retreating … ([link removed])
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** The 5 Most-Read Criminal Group Profiles in 2024 ([link removed])
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This year saw critical changes within some of the most notorious criminal organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean, reflecting their resilience and vulnerabilities. ([link removed])
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** The 5 Most-Read Criminal Actor Profiles in 2024 ([link removed])
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This year, several criminal actors stood out for their staying power or ability to adapt in the face of an ever-evolving criminal panorama. ([link removed])
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** Chile’s First Official Organized Crime Report Highlights Role of Foreign Groups ([link removed])
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Chilean authorities are providing more detail about the growing sophistication and violence of transnational organized crime … ([link removed])
** Upcoming event | Exclusive to donors
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On January 10, 2025, we will host a virtual panel in English. Some of our most experienced in-field investigators, along with directors Jeremy McDermott and Steven Dudley, will discuss the key findings of our annual Criminal GameChangers series, which kicks off December 23, as well as the regional criminal landscape and challenges for the coming year. To access the panel, you can make a donation starting at $10. Login details will be sent to the email address registered when you make your donation.
Make your donation > ([link removed])
Read more about the event > ([link removed])
** Impact
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What We Do > ([link removed])
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The investigations “The Informants of Tibú: How the Colombian State Unleashed a Wave of Femicides ([link removed]) , ” written by Alicia Flores and Lara Loaiza, and “The Gangster Governor of Zulia: The Rise and Fall of Venezuela’s Omar Prieto ([link removed]) ” by our Venezuela Investigative Unit were nominated for the Fetisov Journalism Awards 2024 in the category “Exceptional Investigative Reporting.”
Read all our investigations > ([link removed])
Learn more about our organization > ([link removed])
** This Week's Criminal Profile: Pablo Escobar
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Even 30 years after his death, Pablo Escobar remains the emblem of a nearly extinct drug trafficking era dominated by hierarchical groups in Colombia. His life, marked by extreme violence and ostentatious wealth, continues to shape organized crime narratives. Contemporary manifestations of his legacy, ranging from pop culture to the environmental impact of his infamous hippos, underscore his status as a controversial historical and cultural icon.
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See our profile on Pablo Escobar > ([link removed])
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Read our articles on organized crime in Colombia > ([link removed])
** End of the year recommendation| Podcast
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Looking for something to listen to while relaxing or traveling over the holidays? The podcast InSight Crime: From the Ground Up has six episodes and is available on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube.
The podcast incorporates InSight Crime’s knowledge of organized crime in the Americas that it has been cultivating for more than a decade to tell the human stories behind crime from the ground up. We unravel the anguish, resilience, joy, and hope that are hidden among the many layers present in the complexity of crime, both among victims and their perpetrators.
Listen to the full podcast over the holidays > ([link removed])
** Media Mentions
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About us > ([link removed])
December 14
CNN World ([link removed])
"Gangs such as the Zetas and Familia Michoacana were formed in the state, which has become home to drug production and drug traffickers who target local farmers to cultivate marijuana and other drugs, according to a report from Insight Crime."
Read our Mexico profiles > ([link removed])
** Trending: Migrant passage through the Darien fell in 2024
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December 18 was International Migrants Day, an opportunity to remember that migrant crossings through the Darien jungle, which connects Colombia and Panama, decreased by 41% in 2024, according to Panama's National Migration Service. This decrease, representing more than 300,500 fewer people compared to 2023, was attributed to measures taken by the Panamanian government and adverse weather conditions. Authorities stress that the migratory flow continues to be challenging as thousands of people seek to reach the United States by this route.
Read our coverage on migration and crime > ([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:
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Open Society Foundations ([link removed])
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency ([link removed])
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