This week, InSight Crime provides an overview of the crime groups that have emerged in Mexico 

Weekly InSight
August 13, 2021 ([link removed])

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This week, InSight Crime provides an overview of the crime groups that have emerged in Mexico in the long aftermath of the splintering of its large criminal structures. These groups are local, hyperviolent and involved in a range of criminal activities outside of drug trafficking, including oil theft, extortion, contract killings and highway robberies. Our round-up of eight groups looks at their beginnings, leaders, alliances, enemies and centers of power.

Meanwhile, our Venezuela Investigative Unit reports on two major developments: Gang boss El Koki and his compatriots in Caracas appear to be on the run, and a former soldier alleges that he was recruited by an ex-lieutenant to serve as a mercenary for the Tren de Guayana gang, which controls illegal mining operations in Bolívar. Other notable reports from the week include a look at how a Chinese broker laundered millions for crime groups throughout the region; a report on the skyrocketing price of black market coca leaves in Argentina; and an account of a shadowy death squad operating on the Paraguay-Brazil border.


** Featured
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** The Next Generation of Criminal Groups Driving Violence in Mexico ([link removed])
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Mexico's process of criminal fragmentation has been a slow burn. Many of the country's mightiest criminal groups have been unable to stay united due to internal strife, incursions from rivals or the arrests and killings of key leaders.

But while some powerhouses like the Sinaloa Cartel ([link removed]) and Jalisco Cartel New Generation (Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación - CJNG ([link removed]) ) remain intact, smaller, hyperviolent and localized groups have become real national security threats. Many are splinters of old cartel structures, maintaining previous allegiances, while others were once dedicated oil thieves or drug transporters who gradually leveled up.

Read the story > ([link removed])


** NewsAnalysis
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All News ([link removed]) >
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** Are El Koki and His Gang Members No Longer Safe in Venezuela? ([link removed])
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Police in Venezuela have killed a notorious gang leader while others are reportedly hiding in Colombia, raising questions about...

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** Ex-Lieutenant Allegedly Recruits Venezuelan Soldiers for Gang Attack on Illegal Mine ([link removed])
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A former army lieutenant allegedly recruited Venezuelan soldiers to provide firepower for the Tren...

Vigilante Death Squad Sends Bloody Message in Brazil-Paraguay Border Region ([link removed])
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Chinese Broker Laundered Latin American Drug Money Around the World ([link removed])
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Closed Borders Help Argentina Make Record Coca Leaf Seizures ([link removed])
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Weapons Traffickers Target Chile's Port of Iquique ([link removed])
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Million-Dollar Seizure of Shark Fins Leads to Lenient Fine in Ecuador ([link removed])
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Quarter of Pesticides in Brazil Illegally Smuggled from China ([link removed])


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

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** 'El Koki' ([link removed])
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Carlos Luis Revete, alias "El Koki," is one of Venezuela’s most wanted criminals and leader of the “megabanda"...
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** G9 and Family ([link removed])
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The “G9 and Family” (G9 an fanmi – G9) is a criminal federation of nine of the strongest gangs in Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince...


** Media Mentions
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About Us ([link removed])
AUGUST 12, 2021
USA TODAY ([link removed])

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"What we have seen is the security situation has worsened – not improved – under Duque,” said Jeremy McDermott, director of InSight Crime. “They have squandered whatever ‘peace bonus’ that there might have been."
Read the article > ([link removed])


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


** InSight Crime Exposé on Training of Troubled Mexico Police Unit in the News
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After the slaying of 19 people, including 14 Guatemalan migrants, in northern Mexico, InSight Crime broke news ([link removed]) that the United States had provided training to the elite Mexican police unit accused of carrying out the massacre. Eight months later, The Intercept reports that the commander of that unit was fêted with a pair of plaques from US anti-drug officials for his “exceptional,” “outstanding,” and “continuous” contributions to joint US-Mexico law enforcement efforts. The Intercept ([link removed]) noted our “thorough” profile of the embattled unit, known as GOPES, including that its officers took part in tactical training alongside Texas law enforcement.

See our InDepth coverage on the US-Mexico border > ([link removed])
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** Our Trending Topics
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Browse by Country ([link removed])
HAITI ([link removed])
MEGABANDAS ([link removed])
MEXICO GROUPS ([link removed])
COCAINE ([link removed])

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