CHAPTER 4

Organized Crime Gets Political

Organized crime is the biggest threat to democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2024, with more than a half-dozen elections across the region, we saw the true scale of the problem. Crime groups attacked candidates and elected officials. They used corruption to bend governments to their will. Some early signs suggest the situation could spiral into a destructive cycle. But the region is also full of people who are coming together to fight back. Can strengthening the fight against crime also strengthen democracy?

This is the fourth installment of our annual Criminal GameChangers 2024 series. Over the following weeks, we will publish essays providing our unique expert analysis of the most important dynamics of 2024, and our predictions of challenges ahead in 2025.

🎙️ Don’t miss our donor - exclusive event

To conclude the publication of the series, and as part of our annual fundraising campaign, we invite you to attend a virtual panel in English, where we will talk with some of our most experienced researchers in the field about their most important findings, and their  challenges and predictions about security and crime in 2025.

Forthcoming publications

1 - Resistance to Organized Crime Withers

2 - Crime Cashes in on Migration Boom

3 - Ecuador Finds Victory Elusive in ‘War on Gangs’

4 - Organized Crime Gets Political

5 - Networks Replace Cartels in Cocaine Trade - Jan 02

6 - Narco Money Scandals Reach the Apex of Political Power in the Americas - Jan 03

7 - Global Cocaine Networks and Trump 2 - Jan 06

Regards, 
The InSight Crime Team