July 11, 2025
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This week, InSight Crime analyzed ([link removed]) the growing criminal infiltration of Ecuador’s transit agencies, following a recent wave of killings targeting transit officials. By allying with corrupt officials or embedding their own members, criminal groups gain strategic control and logistical advantages.
Also this week, we interview Claudia Helms, director of the Latin America and Caribbean Program at Global Financial Integrity, and Luisa Acosta, program assistant at the organization, to understand ([link removed]) the implementation of beneficial ownership registries to fight money laundering across Latin America and the Caribbean; we interview Doris Meissner, a former top US immigration official, to explore ([link removed]) how immigration and transnational organized crime converge in President Donald Trump’s rhetoric, policies, and enforcement strategies; and we examine ([link removed]) ongoing violence in marginalized areas of Rosario, Argentina, where recent security initiatives have fallen short of addressing the root causes of
gang violence.
This and more below.
** Featured
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** What Is Behind the Murders of Transit Officials in Ecuador? ([link removed])
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A recent wave of violence against traffic authorities in Ecuador exposes the importance of these entities for criminal groups looking to deepen their control over the country’s streets.
In the early morning of June 15, three individuals attacked two traffic officers in the southern coastal city of Machala, injuring one and killing the other. A few days earlier, on June 6, hitmen murdered Víctor Francisco Villa Gómez, a traffic officer in the coastal city of Manta. Villa Gómez was the twelfth employee of Manta’s municipal transit agency (Empresa Pública Municipal Movilidad de Manta) to be killed since 2022, according to Primicias.
Read the article here > ([link removed])
See more Ecuador coverage > ([link removed])
** NewsAnalysis
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All News > ([link removed])
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** How Beneficial Ownership Policies in Latin America Fight Money Laundering ([link removed])
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Latin America and the Caribbean have made strides in building legal frameworks to fight corruption …
Trump Blurs the Line Between Immigtration and Organized Crime ([link removed])
Homicides Drop in Rosario, Argentina, but Violence Persists in the Peripheries ([link removed])
** Impact
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What We Do > ([link removed])
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InSight Crime Investigator Parker Asmann participated in the annual North American Forum, co-hosted by the Institute of the Americas in San Diego, offering insights on the impact of organized crime on trade and migration across North America. Since 2005, the North American Forum has sought to build the political and conceptual foundations for deeper cooperation among the United States, Canada, and Mexico, across various sectors, including trans-border security.
Read our analysis here > ([link removed])
** This Week's Criminal Profile: Jalisco Cartel New Generation ([link removed])
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The Jalisco Cartel New Generation (Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación – CJNG), one of Mexico’s foremost criminal threats, is a transnational criminal group known for its aggressive use of violence and its public relations campaigns. This week, the organization made headlines after a Jalisco, Mexico court convicted ten individuals for disappearance and aggravated homicide in the case of an alleged criminal recruitment and killing camp that caused national outrage. A separate proceeding tied to the same case will rule on charges related to forced recruitment by the CJNG.
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Read the article here > ([link removed])
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Read our Jalisco Cartel New Generation profile > ([link removed])
** Multimedia
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July 9, 2025
#Mexico #Metamphetamine
" Authorities in Southeast and East Asia seized record-breaking amounts of methamphetamine in 2024, with an increasing share coming from Mexico. However, Mexican criminal organizations are increasingly using the region as a transshipment hub to Australia, one of the most lucrative synthetic drug markets in the world. "
Watch post > ([link removed])
** Media Mentions
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July 7, 2025
** The Pilot ([link removed])
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" [Honduras] is also ‘one of the most important drug trafficking transshipment points between South America and Mexico,’ with criminal groups enjoying ‘official protection’ from corruption-plagued government offices and armed forces, noted the think tank InSight Crime, which focuses on organized crime and security in the Americas."
Read our Honduras profile here > ([link removed])
** Trending: Colombia’s ELN Launches Shows of Force Across Country
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After turning 61 on July 4, the National Liberation Army (ELN – Ejército de Liberación Nacional) was suspected of clashing with the Colombian army, setting fire to vehicles on major roads, and detonating explosives, as violence continues throughout the country. The attacks represent the latest setback to a beleaguered peace deal between the ELN and Colombian government.
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** The Endless Battle for Bajo Cauca: Colombia’s Criminal Crown Jewel ([link removed])
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Read our ELN Peace profile > ([link removed])
Read our ELN profile > ([link removed])
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** Major Criminal Powers Dispute Key Corridors in Colombia ([link removed])
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