** Weekly InSight
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January 17, 2025
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This week, InSight Crime published ([link removed]) an in-depth investigation documenting Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo’s failure to crackdown on entrenched corruption networks. One-year after Arévalo came to power on an ambitious anti-graft platform, he appears increasingly powerless. We explored the challenges Arévalo faces and how political mafias are successfully sabotaging meaningful reform.
We also looked ([link removed]) at how the incoming Trump administration’s Latin American policies may shape organized crime; explained ([link removed]) why the increased isolation of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro will bolster the regime’s reliance on criminal rents; analyzed ([link removed]) the gang dynamics driving Ecuador’s continued violence; and examined ([link removed]) why the continuation of a state of emergency in Paraguay will do little to arrest the chaos in the country’s crumbing prison system.
** Latest Investigation
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** Arévalo, One Year On: Is Guatemala’s President Losing the Fight Against Corruption? ([link removed])
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One year ago, anti-corruption crusader Bernardo Arévalo was sworn in as president of Guatemala.
Elected on a promise to revive Guatemala’s perpetual battle with graft, Arévalo has spent his first year in power battling to advance his anti-corruption agenda in a country where corruption is the norm.
Today, all the main branches of government remain compromised, and the administration is yet to articulate a coherent plan for tackling corruption or enacting meaningful reforms. Meanwhile, Arévalo and his allies have been relentlessly attacked by political mafias determined to sink the government.
Read the investigation > ([link removed])
Read more about Guatemala > ([link removed])
** Featured
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** How Trump’s Team Could Impact Anti-Crime Efforts in LatAm ([link removed])
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As the new Trump administration takes office, Latin America braces for shifts in US policy, with organized crime high on the agenda. Military strikes on Mexican criminals and a possible retaking of the Panama Canal have already featured in the incoming president’s rhetoric. Drawing from the first Trump administration and statements from his team of deputies, we look at how his second-term policies may shape up.
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** News Analysis
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** Global Pressure Mounts: Venezuela, Bounties, and Crime ([link removed])
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The US wanted poster offering a $25 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro is the most… ([link removed])
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** Ecuador Gang Dynamic Feeds Record Homicides ([link removed])
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The recent killing of a prominent Ecuadorian gang leader may further fuel violence in Durán, one of the country’s most violent municipalities and the drug gateway to the port… ([link removed])
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** Paraguay’s Endless Prison Crisis ([link removed])
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Paraguay’s penitentiary system remains in a state of emergency for a second year, yet without measures to tackle the root causes, the relentless grip of prison gangs, both… ([link removed])
** Impact
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InSight Crime invites you to join our virtual panel scrutinizing the policies and picking apart the political rhetoric of a coming presidential election where organized crime and citizen security will take center stage: Ecuador 2025.
The event, Ecuador’s Criminal Crossroads: Debating Security Policy in the 2025 Presidential Elections, will take place at 11am (Quito time UTC-5) on January 20, the day after the candidates take each other on in a televised debate. InSight Crime co-Director Steven Dudley will be joined by investigative journalist Karol Noroña, organized crime specialist Renato Rivera, and Melania Carrion, an expert in security and governance.
Join the event > ([link removed])
Explore our Ecuador coverage > ([link removed])
** This Week's Criminal Profile: Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán
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The Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, 67 years old, now looks set to die in prison after a US court ratified his sentence of life plus 30 years this week following repeated appeals. El Chapo led the Sinaloa Cartel and, before his capture in 2014, was the most wanted man in the Western Hemisphere. He gained further notoriety for the creative construction of tunnels, which he used both to smuggle drugs to the United States, and to escape a Mexican prison in 2015.
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Read our El Chapo profile > ([link removed])
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Read our Mexico coverage > ([link removed])
** Multimedia
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January 10, 2023
#CrisisVenezuela
"While opposition demonstrations in the streets of Caracas were being repressed by the military and colectivos, Maduro was preparing to assume another six years in power."
See our Instagram story (Spanish) > ([link removed])
** Media Mentions
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January 7, 2025
NPR ([link removed])
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"Jeremy McDermott, co-founder of InSight Crime, said that there are very few well-paying jobs in Colombia for ex-soldiers. That's why some accept offers to fight abroad, often for just a few thousand dollars per month."
Read our Colombia coverage > ([link removed])
** Trending Topic: Chilean Authorities Seized Nearly a Ton of Methamphetamine Originating From Mexico
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Chilean authorities detained two Mexican nationals linked to a clandestine methamphetamine lab in the O’Higgins region. During the operation, they seized 844 kilograms of methamphetamine, the largest amount in the country’s history. According to the investigation, the group intended to use Chile as a strategic hub for producing and exporting methamphetamine to Europe and Oceania.
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Explore our Chile coverage > ([link removed])
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Explore our synthetic drugs coverage > ([link removed])
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