July 4, 2025
View in your browser ([link removed])
This week, InSight Crime delved ([link removed]) into recent US Treasury sanctions against three Mexican financial institutions accused of laundering drug money. Part of a broader series of unilateral US efforts to crack down on transnational organized crime and fentanyl trafficking, the move could further strain the bilateral crime-fighting relationship.
Also this week, two recent books about Honduras tackled ([link removed]) the age-old question of at what point the quest for justice crosses ethical and even legal lines; the murder of a Venezuelan TikToker during a live stream highlighted ([link removed]) the dangers facing people denouncing organized crime; a reform of the Argentine Federal Police raised questions ([link removed]) on whether its new powers will be enough to confront increasingly sophisticated criminal dynamics; and an internal watchdog report confirmed ([link removed]) that the Sinaloa Cartel hacked a top US law enforcement agency and obtained classified information, underscoring broader counter-intelligence vulnerabilities.
This and more below.
** Featured
------------------------------------------------------------
[link removed]
** US Sanctions Mexican Banks in Fentanyl Crackdown, Fueling Bilateral Tensions ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
The US government recently sanctioned three Mexican financial institutions for allegedly laundering drug money, adding to a series of US actions that have strained the country’s bilateral crime-fighting relationship with Mexico.
On June 25, the US Treasury Department’s Financial Enforcement Network (FinCEN) sanctioned two major Mexican banks and one brokerage for allegedly laundering money for Mexican criminal organizations and helping purchase fentanyl precursors from China.
Read the article here > ([link removed])
See more Money Laundering coverage > ([link removed])
** News Analysis
------------------------------------------------------------
All News > ([link removed])
[link removed]
** Does Justice Mean Peace? 2 Books About Honduras Explore This Sensitive Topic ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Two recent books about Honduras tackle an age-old question: At what point does the quest for justice cross ethical and possibly even legal …
Sinaloa Cartel Hack Exposes Cracks in FBI Security ([link removed])
Argentina Police Reform Sparks Concern Over Strategy ([link removed])
TikToker’s Murder Highlights Danger of Denouncing Venezuelan Organized Crime ([link removed])
** Impact
------------------------------------------------------------
What We Do > ([link removed])
InSight Crime Director Jeremy McDermott participated in the annual El PAcCTO 2.0 summit in Lima, offering perspectives on the role of civil society in strengthening international cooperation in the fight against transnational organized crime. Since 2023, El PAcCTO 2.0 has aimed to deepen collaboration on justice and security issues between Latin America, the Caribbean, and the European Union.
Read our analysis here > ([link removed])
** This Week's Criminal Profile: Sinaloa Cartel
------------------------------------------------------------
The Sinaloa Cartel, considered the largest and most powerful drug trafficking organization in the Western Hemisphere, is a network of some of Mexico’s most important drug bosses. This week, the organization made headlines when a US Justice Department audit report confirmed that the group hired a hacker to target the Federal Bureau of Investigation to obtain classified information that was later used to intimidate and kill potential government sources.
[link removed]
Read the article here > ([link removed])
[link removed]
Read our Sinaloa Cartel profile > ([link removed])
** Multimedia
------------------------------------------------------------
[link removed]
June 27, 2025
#Fito #Choneros
"One of Ecuador’s top crime bosses, José Adolfo Macias Villamar, alias “Fito,” was captured by authorities on June 25. Fito, who has escaped prison twice before, was indicted by the United States in April on drug trafficking charges and may be the first Ecuadorian criminal to be extradited to the United States."
Watch full video > ([link removed])
** Media Mentions
------------------------------------------------------------
About us > ([link removed])
June 27, 2025
CNN ([link removed])
[link removed]
"In 2011 [Fito] was sentenced “for a string of crimes, including homicides and narcotics trafficking,” according to think tank Insight Crime."
Read our analysis on Fito’s capture here > ([link removed])
** Trending: El Chapo’s Son Plans to Plead Guilty in US
------------------------------------------------------------
Ovidio Guzmán López will become the first son of notorious drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán to plead guilty to criminal charges in the US, according to a recent court filing. Ovidio has been in negotiations with prosecutors over a possible plea agreement that would offer him a more lenient sentence in exchange for cooperating with US law enforcement. Learn more about Ovidio and his brothers, known as the Chapitos.
[link removed]
** How Will Ovidio’s Arrest in Mexico Affect Sinaloa Cartel and the Fentanyl Trade? ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
[link removed]
** An Extradition (and a Fentanyl Prohibition) as Mexico Tries a Counterdrug Reset ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Read our Sinaloa Cartel profile > ([link removed])
Read our Chapitos profile > ([link removed])
Support our work
We go into the field to interview, report and investigate. We then verify, write and edit, providing the tools to generate real impact in fighting organized crime.
Donate today ([link removed])
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
InSight Crime is sponsored by:
American University ([link removed])
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency ([link removed])
Copyright (C) 2025 InSight Crime. All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you have signed up to receive InSight Crime's top weekly content.
You are receiving this email because you have signed up to receive InSight Crime's top weekly content.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can
update your preferences ([link removed]) or unsubscribe ([link removed])
