This week, ELN top commander Nicolás Rodríguez Bautista, alias “Gabino,” said he is stepping down due to health issues. InSight Crime looks at how...

Weekly InSight
June 25, 2021 ([link removed])

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This week, Colombia’s top rebel, Nicolás Rodríguez Bautista, alias “Gabino,” said he was stepping down due to health issues. InSight Crime looks at how this affects the National Liberation Army (ELN), Colombia’s last remaining rebel group, which has become the country’s most powerful illegal organization, in terms of military capacity and territorial influence.

From El Salvador, we tell the story of the first MS13 gang member to be designated a terrorist. Our Venezuela Investigative Unit goes to a Caracas neighborhood under assault by gang boss El Coqui.

Another story takes us to Honduras, where the army’s handling of prison security faces a reckoning after gang members used grenades in a bloody battle. Costa Rica’s justice system will be tested with the launch of a corruption investigation that reaches to the halls of the presidential palace. And we provide three possible explanations for a string of shootings that has shaken the Mexican border city of Reynosa.


** Featured
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** ‘Blue’: The Story of MS13’s First ‘Terrorist’ ([link removed])
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Those who knew Armando Eliu Melgar Díaz at an early age remember that he couldn't speak a word of English. He was one of many Salvadoran immigrants who arrived in the United States only to face academic and economic hardships.

“He didn’t speak at all. We translated for him," said a gang member who did not reveal his identity. "I remember that when he got there, he didn't speak any English, nothing, nothing, nothing. The South Side Locos [a rival gang] made fun of him."

Read the story > ([link removed])


** NewsAnalysis
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All News ([link removed]) >
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** What Will Gabino's Departure Mean for the ELN? ([link removed])
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The retirement of the ELN's top commander and political leader may have sweeping implications for the guerrilla group as it seeks to...

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** El Coqui’s Victory – An Urban Invasion in Caracas ([link removed])
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El Coqui seemed to be comfortable. Caracas’ foremost gang boss had, for several years, dominated the sprawling neighborhood of Cota...

Cartel War or General Chaos: Behind the Killing Spree in Reynosa, Mexico ([link removed])
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Honduras Army Faces Backlash After Continued Prison Violence ([link removed])
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High-Profile Corruption Probe Tests Costa Rica’s Justice System ([link removed])
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Fishing Village Caught in Crosshairs of Ecuador Drug Gangs ([link removed])
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ICU Beds Trafficked in Peru Amidst COVID-19 Spike ([link removed])
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Hashish: New Player in Brazil Drug Markets ([link removed])
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How Mexico's Drug Trade Has Evolved Over a Century ([link removed])
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Eat Them or Extradite Them - What to Do With Pablo Escobar's Hippos? ([link removed])


** Criminal Actors
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Profiles of some of the notable criminal personalities and groups that have marked this week.

Browse by country > ([link removed])
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** Gabino ([link removed])
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Nicolás Rodríguez Bautista, alias "Gabino," was a peasant recruit who rose to become the commander in chief...
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** Gulf Cartel ([link removed])
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The Gulf Cartel is one of the oldest and most powerful of Mexico’s criminal groups but has lost territory and influence in recent...


** Media Mentions
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About Us ([link removed])
JUNE 21, 2021
BUSINESS INSIDER ([link removed])

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" Before his death, Pablo Escobar brought hippos to Colombia, stocking a private zoo with them. In the decades since, the heard has grown, developing scientific characteristics and defying attempts to control or eliminate them. Here, InSight Crime considers four options for dealing with this issue long-term."
Read the cited article > ([link removed])


** Impact
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What We do ([link removed])


** Organized Crime’s Influence on Gender-Based Violence
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InSight Crime has made it a priority to investigate the overlap of organized crime and gender-based violence. Investigator Laura N. Ávila spoke on the topic at the launch of a research project by the United Nations Development Programme. Ávila described a need to understand the ways violence is used against women, girls and LGBTQ people with reference to the power dynamics and inequalities of the criminal underworld. It is partially through this prism that InSight Crime is investigating the mass exodus from Venezuela where women and children are especially vulnerable to exploitation and recruitment by criminal groups involved in human and drug trafficking.

See our coverage of gender and organized crime > ([link removed])


** In the Eye of Venezuela’s Perfect Criminal Storm
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InSight Crime also continues to develop its partnership with the Costa Rica-based international University for Peace. On June 2, InSight Crime Project Manager James Bargent held a virtual seminar for postgraduate students and academics titled “Organized Crime, Conflict and Isolation: the Perfect Storm in Venezuela.” Bargent presented on different manifestations of the convergence of criminal, geopolitical and economic factors in Venezuela, and the impact of these on a country in crisis.

View the latest reports from our Venezuela Investigative Unit > ([link removed])


** Our Trending Topics
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Browse by Country ([link removed])
ELN ([link removed])
GABINO ([link removed])
GULF CARTEL ([link removed])
EL COQUI ([link removed])

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