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October 24, 2025 | View in your browser ([link removed])
This week, InSight Crime digs into the latest war of words ([link removed]) between US President Donald Trump and his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro, as Washington again questions Bogotá’s commitment to the drug war.
Also this week, Bolivia’s newly elected president will take office ([link removed]) amid a severe economic crisis that could hinder his ability to tackle organized crime; and a recent conference highlighted the need ([link removed]) for policies that address the economic effects of illicit activities and tackle crime from a financial front to curb its growth.
This and more below.
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** 📅 Last Chance to Sign Up! | Crime, Climate, and COP30: Environmental Crime Challenges in Latin America ([link removed])
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Join InSight Crime experts and special guests on October 27 in our event exclusively for donors to discuss how organized crime fuels climate change, how government and private sector failings enable environmental crime in Latin America, and why organized crime should be part of the climate change debate. This is your last chance to donate and sign up to secure your spot - don't miss out. ([link removed])
** What was trending this week?
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Tensions between the United States and Colombia escalated after President Donald Trump accused Gustavo Petro of being a “drug leader” and threatened to cut aid; in the Caribbean, an Ecuadorian man who survived a US missile strike on an alleged drug boat was deported and later freed; and in Guatemala, President Bernardo Arévalo approved a new anti-gang law declaring the MS13 and Barrio 18 transnational organized crime and terrorist groups.
We’ll be back with our weekly On the Radar ([link removed]) video analysis next week.
** Featured
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** Behind the Curtain: How Trump’s Spat With Colombia Could Impact Anti-Drug Ops ([link removed])
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InSight Crime’s Managing Editor Deborah Bonello and Co-Director Jeremy McDermott dig into the latest war of words between President Donald Trump and his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro, discussing why US anti-drug assistance to Colombia is so fundamental, whether it really will disappear, and why it will benefit no one to cut resources used to fight the cocaine trade.
Listen to our analysis here > ([link removed])
Read more Drug Policy coverage > ([link removed])
** News Analysis
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** All News > ([link removed])
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Should Economic Thinking Influence LatAm Anti-Crime Policy? ([link removed])
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Three Crime Challenges Facing Bolivia’s New President ([link removed])
** Impact
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** What We Do > ([link removed])
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InSight Crime Co-director Jeremy McDermott provided expert analysis to Deutsche Welle News after President Donald Trump authorized a CIA covert operation against Venezuela, part of his administration’s escalating “war on drugs.” The move continues to mark a major shift in Washington’s policy of treating organized crime groups as terrorists, reshaping security dynamics across the region, and follows earlier strikes on alleged “drug boats” in the Caribbean, which the UN has labeled extrajudicial executions.
Read our full analysis here > ([link removed])
** This Week's Criminal Profile: Barrio 18
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The 18th Street Gang, also known as Barrio 18, is one of the largest youth gangs in the Western Hemisphere, alongside its better-known rival, the Mara Salvatrucha (MS13). Active from Central America to Canada, the group has been weakened in El Salvador by President Nayib Bukele’s security crackdown since March 2022. This week, the gang made headlines in Guatemala after authorities approved Decree 11-2025, known as the Anti-Gang Law, which designated Barrio 18 as a transnational organized crime and terrorist group. Police also recaptured Nicolás Xantes Sis, alias “El Brown,” leader of the “Vatos Locos” faction who had escaped from the Fraijanes II prison on October 12.
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Read our Barrio 18 profile > ([link removed])
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Read our Guatemala coverage > ([link removed])
** Media Mentions
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** About us > ([link removed])
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October 20, 2025
Washington Post ([link removed])
“'We have found no links between Tren de Aragua and multinational smugglers,' said Jeremy McDermott, co-founder of InSight Crime, whose team recently visited the region. 'There was an attempt by them to penetrate Sucre, but they were ejected by local gangs.'”
Read our Tren de Aragua coverage here > ([link removed])
** Support our work ([link removed])
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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.
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InSight Crime is sponsored by:
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