This week, InSight Crime analyzed how criminal groups across the region have evolved in their use of drones. What began as a rudimentary technology—akin to mechanized carrier pigeons used to smuggle messages and weapons into prisons—has transformed into a sophisticated tool of crime. Today, drones are widely used by criminal groups for aerial attacks, smuggling illicit goods, and instilling fear in civilians and communities.
We also explored the criminal careers of two drug traffickers: Marco Ebben, a Dutch national whose role in the Sinaloa Cartel suggests that European traffickers are not just customers but are integrated into the group’s structure, and Rafael Caro Quintero, the infamous leader of the Guadalajara Cartel involved in the murder of a DEA agent. Additionally, we questioned whether a series of Mexican security operations targeting the country’s top criminal groups will be enough to satisfy the Trump administration, and examined the rise in coca cultivation in Honduras, considering whether what began as an experiment has now become an established business.
