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This week, InSight Crime presents the tenth edition of its annual Homicide Round-Up, analyzing the persistent violence in the Caribbean, where organized crime continues to drive high homicide rates. Despite government efforts, a lack of institutional coordination and a weak judicial system limit the effectiveness of security policies. Meanwhile, drug trafficking and extortion remain key drivers of violence, solidifying the Caribbean as one of the most dangerous regions in the Americas.
We also explore the reasons behind Brazil’s “imperfect peace” following the truce between the First Capital Command (Primeiro Comando da Capital – PCC) and the Red Command (Comando Vermelho – CV); examine the relationship between the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional – ELN) and the Sinaloa Cartel after Colombia’s president suggested the rebel group operates under the Mexican organization’s command; and assess the expansion of Ecuadorian criminal groups into Peru, along with the factors that may turn the country into fertile ground for regional criminal growth. |
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Our tenth annual Homicide Round-Up includes a comprehensive set of country-specific graphics that complement the latest data and provide an in-depth analysis of the role of organized crime in shaping homicide trends across Latin America and the Caribbean.
We have also introduced a new methodology section to offer greater transparency on how homicide statistics are collected and published in different countries. The full report is now available on our website.
Read the report > Explore past editions of our annual special > |
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| | This week, we released the third episode of our first investigative podcast series: The Shadow of El Dorado: Unearthing Colombia’s Blood Gold. Over the course of seven episodes, we explore the enigmatic history behind the downfall of Segovia, a once-prosperous mining town in Colombia that has become a stronghold for organized crime. |
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| | A recent truce between Brazil’s two largest criminal organizations could reduce territorial disputes and violence in Latin America’s biggest nation… |
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| | Remarks from Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro that the Sinaloa Cartel is the “current boss” of the National Liberation Army (ELN) suggest a relationship of subordination… |
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| | Ecuadorian groups are creeping into Peru, attracted by criminal economies like drug trafficking and illegal mining, and pushed by a security crackdown back home… |
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| | The balance of power in Colombia’s criminal underworld is in flux, as turbulent shakeups see major criminal players competing for control over key territories. |
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InSight Crime project manager María Fernanda Ramírez participated in an event organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on organized crime in the Andean region, analyzing criminal dynamics in Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, and particularly Ecuador.
The discussion addressed the growth of criminal groups, their transnational expansion, and the influence of drug trafficking on local governance. In Ecuador, the fragmentation of criminal organizations and their links to international networks have intensified violence, challenging the state’s response.
Read our work on Ecuador > |
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The Montes Bobadilla clan is a Honduran drug trafficking organization based in the remote village of Francia, in Honduras’ northern department of Colón. It is one of the country’s oldest trafficking networks and has been a key driver of the recent expansion of coca crops cultivated for cocaine production in the country.
The Montes Bobadilla clan has long corrupted elements of the Honduran state and helped finance the winning 2013 campaign of disgraced former President Juan Orlando Hernández. The clan’s leader, Juan Carlos Montes Bobadilla, is one of the most wanted criminals in Honduras and the United States, with the US State Department offering a $5 million bounty for information leading to his capture. |
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| | "The US government has recently designated several Latin American criminal groups as terrorist organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel, the Tren de Aragua gang, and MS13. What impact will these new designations have on the fight against organized crime?"
Watch full video > |
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| "“Tren de Aragua is most active outside the United States,” said InSight Crime’s Mike LaSusa, who tracks the group. “On U.S. soil, its limited presence mostly targets the Venezuelan migrant community—nothing that threatens general public security in the U.S.”" Read our latest analysis on Tren de Aragua > |
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Trending Topic: Elon Musk Wants to Target Mexican Cartels with US Drones. It's Not That Simple. |
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The designation of Mexican criminal groups as “terrorist organizations” by the US State Department sparked a reaction from Elon Musk, the powerful businessman and advisor to President Donald Trump. Musk suggested on his social media platform X that this could make organized crime groups "eligible for drone strikes."
His comments have been widely reported without much scrutiny, but carrying out such an attack would constitute a serious violation of Mexican sovereignty, and arguably be an act of war. Responding to the controversy, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that US drone flights conducted to spy on, but not attack, cartels have so far taken place “at the request of her government” and that “there is nothing illegal about them.” Read more about the issue in our coverage here. |
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