May 2, 2025
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This week, InSight Crime analyzed ([link removed]) how new regulations in Brazil targeting gold traders could disrupt illegal mining in the short term by increasing scrutiny over supply chains. But with organized crime’s proven ability to adapt, the measures are unlikely to bring lasting change.
We also examined ([link removed]) how multi-level corruption fuels arms trafficking across Latin America, reviewed ([link removed]) a new report showing how transnational crime has birthed levels of violence previously unseen in Chile, looked ([link removed]) into how stalled funding for an international security mission could further empower Haiti’s gangs, and explored ([link removed]) how cuts to US foreign aid could undermine efforts to combat organized crime in three countries in the region.
** Featured
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** Illegal Gold Mining in Brazil Likely to Survive Tougher Regulations ([link removed])
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Gold traders in Brazil must now prove that they get their metal from legal sources, following a recent Supreme Court ruling that closes a significant legal loophole exploited by organized crime. ([link removed])
On March 21, the Supreme Federal Court (Supremo Tribunal Federal – STF) struck down a law that established the principle of presumption of legality and good faith when trading gold. Justice Gilmar Mendes said the previous law over-simplified the process of buying the metal and allowed the expansion of a black market, strengthening illegal mining. ([link removed])
The court also ordered the executive branch to establish a new regulatory framework to prevent the illegal trading of gold that is extracted from protected areas and Indigenous lands. ([link removed])
Read the article here > ([link removed])
See more coverage of Illegal Mining > ([link removed])
** NewsAnalysis
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** Experts Say US Aid Slashes Will Hinder Anti-Drug and Crime Efforts in Latam ([link removed])
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The administration of US President Donald Trump is moving to slash funding for diplomatic and aid programs, which experts say could … ([link removed])
How Corruption Fuels Arms Diversion in Latin America ([link removed])
Transnational Organized Crime Is Feeding Growing Violence in Chile ([link removed])
US Asks Partners to Give More to Haiti’s Struggling Anti-Gang Mission ([link removed])
** Impact
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What We Do > ([link removed])
New court documents have revealed ([link removed]) that José María Guizar Valencia, alias “Z43” — a former Zetas plaza boss operating between Guatemala and Chiapas — admitted to paying millions of dollars to former Guatemalan President Álvaro Colom’s 2007 campaign. In return, he sought impunity and the freedom to traffic drugs, among other benefits.
InSight Crime first uncovered these alleged payments in our 2018 investigation, “The Zetas, Drug Money and the Colom Campaign in Guatemala.” Z43’s recent testimony now confirms our original findings.
Read the investigation > ([link removed])
Learn more about Elites and Crime > ([link removed])
** This Week's Criminal Profile: The Lagartos ([link removed])
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The Lagartos emerged from a loose coalition of hired guns and street gangs in the prisons of Ecuador’s biggest city, Guayaquil, to become one of the country’s most notorious criminal groups. Initially formed to oppose the expansion of rival group the Choneros, the Lagartos control local criminal economies and strategic territory used for transnational drug trafficking. ([link removed])
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Read our Lagartos profile > ([link removed])
Read our Ecuador coverage > ([link removed])
** Multimedia
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April 27, 2025
#Mexico
"A new set of rules is shaping the ongoing internal conflict between two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. Since the fighting began in September 2024, well over 1,000 people have been killed and thousands more have been forcibly disappeared. ([link removed]) "
See the whole Instagram carousel > ([link removed])
** Media Mentions
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About us > ([link removed])
27 April, 2025
Rolling Stone ([link removed])
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"According to Victoria Dittmar of InSight Crime, a think tank that studies organized crime in the Americas, production continues by other Sinaloa cartel factions, and has since moved into neighboring states like Sonora and Baja California, where cooks operate under the oversight of the cartel."
Read our investigation “How Fentanyl Producers in Mexico Are Adapting to a Challenging Market > ([link removed])
** Trending: Spanish Police Dismantle Alleged MS13 Cell
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** MS13 Trial in Spain Highlights Gang’s Struggle for International Unity ([link removed])
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** El Salvador Gang Members ‘Setting Up MS13 Branch’ in Spain ([link removed])
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Read our MS13 coverage > ([link removed])
** Next Week
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Next week, InSight Crime will publish its 2024 Cocaine Seizures Round-Up where we analyze how traffickers moved record volumes of cocaine and how authorities tried to keep up.
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