July 18, 2025
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This week, InSight Crime delved into ([link removed]) recent accusations that Uruguayan livestock investment companies defrauded people out of hundreds of millions of dollars, highlighting how white-collar criminal organizations can cause widespread financial devastation without resorting to violence.
Also this week, the recent arrest of Costa Rica’s former security minister sheds light ([link removed]) on corruption and drug trafficking networks in what may be the most significant drug scandal in the country’s history; the K-drugs market in Brazil keeps booming ([link removed]) despite alleged attempts by the PCC to ban it; and a war of words between Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum and El Chapo’s lawyer showcases ([link removed]) some of the perennial problems in the drug business: governments doing deals with capos, and state corruption.
This and more below.
** Featured
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** Cow Fraud? How Hundreds Allegedly Lost Their Savings in Uruguay ([link removed])
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Accusations that Uruguayan livestock investment companies defrauded people out of hundreds of millions of dollars highlight how white-collar criminal organizations can cause widespread financial devastation without resorting to violence.
Uruguayan prosecutors are investigating at least three firms over claims they misled investors. Conexión Ganadera, República Ganadera, and Grupo Larrarte allegedly offered investors the chance to buy cattle that would be sold upon growing to their full size, providing those who invested with fixed annual returns of around 7-11%.
Read the article here > ([link removed])
See more Uruguay coverage > ([link removed])
** News Analysis
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All News > ([link removed])
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** Costa Rica Is Facing Its Worst-Ever Narco Corruption Scandal ([link removed])
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The recent arrest of Costa Rica’s former security minister and the revelations in his case have shed light on the corruption and drug trafficking networks engulfing …
How the Nature of the K-Drugs Market Foiled a PCC Ban on Sales ([link removed])
El Chapo’s Lawyer vs. Mexico’s President: What It Reveals About the Drug Trade ([link removed])
** Impact
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What We Do > ([link removed])
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InSight Crime investigator Henry Shuldiner provided expert analysis to several international outlets, including The Guardian ([link removed]) , CBS News ([link removed]) , and France 24 ([link removed]) , following the discovery of a remote-controlled narco sub in Colombia. Narco subs have been around for decades, primarily used to ferry cocaine from Colombia’s Pacific coast to Central America or Mexico. But recent seizure data for these hard-to-detect boats shows how creative traffickers are becoming, and how narco subs continue to evolve in terms of both design and technology.
Read our deep dive on narco subs here > ([link removed])
** This Week's Criminal Profile: Tren de Aragua
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Tren de Aragua is Venezuela’s most powerful homegrown criminal organization and the only gang of Venezuelan origin that has successfully projected its power abroad. It has evolved from its beginnings as a prison gang into a transnational threat with a diverse criminal portfolio.
This week, Tren de Aragua’s leader in Chile, Carlos González Vaca, alias “Estrella,” was sentenced to life in prison for crimes including two kidnappings — one of which resulted in murder. Prosecutors also secured convictions against 11 other gang members, with total sentences exceeding 300 years.
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Read our Tren de Aragua profile > ([link removed])
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Read more Venezuela coverage > ([link removed])
** Multimedia
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July 11, 2025
#narcosubmarines
"Narco submarines surfaced in new places in 2024, underscoring the capacity of criminal groups to use these stealthy vessels to ship cocaine worldwide."
Watch full video > ([link removed])
** Media Mentions
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About us > ([link removed])
July 11, 2025
USA Today ([link removed])
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"‘This is obviously a hugely symbolic case for the United States. U.S. prosecutors have made the Chapitos a top priority for years,’ said Parker Asmann, a Sinaloa Cartel expert with the organized crime research group InSight Crime."
Read our Chapitos profile here > ([link removed])
** Trending: Ecuador Gang Leader ‘Fito’ Agrees to Extradition to US
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José Adolfo Macías, alias “Fito,” the leader of the Choneros, agreed to be extradited to the United States during a virtual court hearing from prison in Guayaquil, Ecuador. US authorities accuse him of heading the transnational criminal organization the Choneros, and of trafficking cocaine and firearms. This is the first extradition since the process was approved by a 2024 referendum in Ecuador, and could mark a turning point in the country’s fight against organized crime.
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** The Fall of Fito: What It Means — and Doesn’t — for Ecuador’s Underworld ([link removed])
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** The US Just Unsealed Drugs and Weapons Charges Against Ecuadorian Gang Boss ‘Fito’ ([link removed])
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Read our Choneros profile > ([link removed])
Read our Ecuador coverage > ([link removed])
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