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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.
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