This week, InSight Crime examined the US military’s recent airstrike in the southern Caribbean’s international waters against alleged Tren de Aragua members, challenging claims that the organization is a terrorist group and involved in the international drug business, and raising concerns that such extrajudicial killings could set a dangerous precedent in the region.

Also this week, the sentencing of a minor for the fatal shooting of Miguel Uribe Turbay underscores the government’s focus on a group of guerrillas as alleged masterminds despite weak evidence; Mexico’s new National System of Investigation and Intelligence in Public Security Law risks undermining privacy and exposing sensitive data to criminal or corrupt actors; El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele’s celebration of 1,000 days without homicides raises questions about whether his administration’s claims overstate reality; the charges against former Interior Minister José Serrano for helping plan the 2023 assassination of a presidential candidate mark a crucial moment in Ecuador’s fight against corruption.

This and more below.

On The Radar

Tren de Aragua Is Not an International Drug Trafficking Group

This week, we assess the troubling US airstrike on a “suspected” drug boat in the southern Caribbean and compare the facts with the Trump administration’s narrative. We also lay out what it means that one of El Chapo’s ex-lawyers just got sworn in as a judge in Mexico, and dig into the future of criminal conflict between Guyana and Venezuela following an armed attack on the border between the two countries.

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📅 Upcoming Event | How War-on-Terror Tactics Could Change the Fight Against Organized Crime

Drone strikes on crime groups? Mass deportations? Blocking financial flows? These are some of the possibilities we’ll explore on September 26 in our donor-exclusive event. Donate today to join this conversation with our experts.

Featured

The US Just Bombed a ‘Narco Terrorist’ Boat. Or Did It?

A US military airstrike in the southern Caribbean’s international waters, which the Trump administration claims killed 11 members of the Tren de Aragua “narco-terrorist organization,” is a concerning, deadly escalation in the current “war on drugs.”

We debunk the myths that Tren de Aragua is either a terrorist group or involved in the international drug business, and question whether these extrajudicial killings could set a dangerous precedent in a region currently rife with drug-related violence.

See our analysis here >

Read our Tren de Aragua coverage >

News Analysis

All News >

New Charges in Emblematic Murder Case Shake Ecuador’s Political Landscape

Video: Are President Bukele’s Celebrations Around Security Gains Justified?

Colombia Blames Guerrillas For Senator’s Killing, But With Little Evidence

How Mexico’s New Intelligence Law Will Impact Public Security

InSight Crime Co-Director Jeremy McDermott and Deputy Director of Content Mike LaSusa provided expert analysis to several international outlets, including The Washington Post, DW, France 24 and the BBC, following the September 2 US airstrike in the southern Caribbean, which targeted supposed Tren de Aragua members in a concerning and deadly escalation of the ongoing “war on drugs,” involving several groups of Venezuelan origin.

Read more Venezuela coverage >

This Week's Criminal Profile: First Capital Command

The First Capital Command (Primeiro Comando da Capital – PCC) is Brazil’s biggest and best-organized criminal network. Born in São Paulo in the 1990s, it has forged a bloody path to dominance throughout the country and has also expanded its operations abroad. This week, the group made headlines when Brazilian authorities dismantled a network that used gas stations and investment funds to launder money in one of the largest-ever operations against organized crime.

Trending: Dominican Republic Designates Cartel of the Suns a Terrorist Organization

The Dominican Republic has become the fourth Latin American country to designate Venezuela's Cartel of the Suns a terrorist organization since the US Treasury named it a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Organization in July. The designation, based on misconceptions and distortions about the nature of the drug trafficking network, came on the same day the US launched a deadly airstrike against a boat manned by what it claimed were "narco-terrorists" from Venezuela.

Read our Cartel of the Suns profile >

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