** Weekly InSight
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January 24, 2025
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This week, InSight Crime published ([link removed]) the latest chapter of our three-year investigation into synthetic drugs and precursors. Fentanyl producers are experimenting with new products and are exploring methods to increase the potency of their chemical concoctions. Adaptations to old formulas also help cut costs and bypass restrictions. We spoke to synthetic drug producers and their suppliers to learn more about the latest market trends.
Also this week, fighting erupted ([link removed]) in the Colombian region of Catatumbo, killing at least 80 people as the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional – ELN) attempted to eliminate rivals and cement its control of a key cocaine production area; new numbers revealed ([link removed]) the scale of Ecuador’s forced displacement crisis; Venezuelan security forces killed ([link removed]) a prominent gang leader; and Trinidad and Tobago’s recent extension ([link removed]) of emergency measures is unlikely to reduce soaring homicides on the island.
** Latest Investigation
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** How Fentanyl Producers in Mexico Are Adapting to a Challenging Market ([link removed])
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When Mario heard the news in mid-May 2023, he immediately suspended his operations.
After five years of booming fentanyl trafficking in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, “the bosses,” as he called the Sinaloa Cartel faction of the Chapitos, issued a blunt directive: stop all production in the state.
Sinaloa had long been the epicenter in Mexico of illicit fentanyl production, a synthetic opioid linked to hundreds of thousands of overdoses across North America over the past decade. According to US authorities, the Chapitos – the sons of the infamous drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán – were among the key figures driving this epidemic.
Read the investigation > ([link removed])
Explore our synthetic drug coverage > ([link removed])
** Featured
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** Renewed War for Colombia Cocaine Center ([link removed])
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The criminal war in northeast Colombia has escalated into a new phase of violence, as intense fighting between two Colombian guerrilla groups erupted in the Catatumbo region, a key cocaine production hub and criminal hotspot along the Venezuelan border.
The National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional – ELN) launched a full-scale offensive against dissidents of the demobilized Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – FARC), reigniting a territorial war in Catatumbo, Norte de Santander.
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** News Analysis
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** Violence Transforms Ecuador’s Migration Landscape ([link removed])
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A year after Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared war on organized crime, the country is grappling with a surge in displacement, as thousands … ([link removed])
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** Maduro Regime Takes Out Defiant Gang Boss ([link removed])
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The leader of one of Venezuela’s most prominent gangs, known as “Wilexis,” has been killed by authorities, ending a six-year manhunt for a crime boss whose opposition to the … ([link removed])
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** Emergency Measures Fall Short in Trinidad and Tobago ([link removed])
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Trinidad and Tobago has extended a state of emergency to counter record homicides. But the measure, a standard strategy for governments facing down rising … ([link removed])
** Impact
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InSight Crime shared its authoritative analysis across multiple forums in recent days as newly elected President Donald Trump quickly enacted several sweeping executive orders that could profoundly impact organized crime in the region.
The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) cited InSight Crime’s extensive research in congressional testimony ([link removed]) , outlining how US border policy puts migrants at increased risk from predatory criminal activity, including extortion and kidnapping. Efforts to deter and expel migrants from the United States are likely to further increase the vulnerability of migrants, and fuel a boom in revenue for criminal groups involved in migrant trafficking and smuggling.
Conversely, the recent designation of Mexican “cartels” as terrorist organizations may yield little substantial change, as similar hardline policies have been pursued previously in the region with disappointing results, explained ([link removed]) investigator Victoria Dittmar to Mexican news outfit LatinUS.
Learn about Trump’s potential organized crime impact > ([link removed])
Explore our public policy coverage > ([link removed])
** This Week's Criminal Profile: Tren de Aragua
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Government officials in two countries told contradictory narratives about feared Venezuelan megagang Tren de Aragua this week in contrasting displays of performative politics.
US President Donald Trump described Tren de Aragua as an “extraordinary threat” to the United States, despite little evidence of the group's meaningful presence there. Shortly afterward, the Venezuelan Public Prosecutors Office declared that the gang had been dismantled.
Both statements cannot be true. While Venezuelan authorities raided the group’s prison headquarters in 2023, the gang continues to operate in the country. InSight Crime’s Investigations also show that Tren de Aragua has no significant presence in the United States, though the group has several international criminal cells in countries including Colombia, Peru, and Chile.
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Read our Tren de Aragua profile > ([link removed])
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Read our Venezuela coverage > ([link removed])
** Media Mentions
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January 20, 2025
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"Organised crime groups will be watching Trump’s policies closely. “They’re aware of the shifts in the US and they will use them to their benefit, as they have in the past,” said Parker Asmann of InSight Crime."
Read the cited article here > ([link removed])
** Trending: Gangs Use Explosives in Brazen Attack Against Peruvian Prosecutors
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Local gangs detonated explosives in front of the prosecutor’s office in the Peruvian town of Trujillo for the second time this week. Delia Espinoza, the country’s attorney general, said the attacks appeared to be an attempt to intimidate prosecutors from investigating criminal groups linked to illegal mining. Gold prices remain at near record highs, making this criminal economy particularly valuable.
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** Earnings From Illegal Gold Hit Record High in Peru ([link removed])
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** Grenades Becoming Trademark of Venezuelan Extortion Gangs in Peru ([link removed])
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