This week, InSight Crime looks at the latest grisly massacre in Ecuador’s prisons

Weekly InSight
October 1, 2021 ([link removed])

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This week, InSight Crime looks at the latest grisly massacre in Ecuador’s prisons, where the cocaine trade is serving as an accelerant for ever more deadly clashes among prison gangs. New developments emerge in Colombia’s Memo Fantasma case, with InSight Crime reporting that the accused paramilitary drug lord is looking to get out of prison, either via house arrest or habeas corpus. He has a valid visa for Spain, where he maintains several properties, and hundreds of millions of euros invested across Europe.

We also wrap up our joint investigation with the Igarapé Institute on how organized crime drives the destruction of the Colombian Amazon. The final chapter provides an overview of the gaps in legislation, policing, and international cooperation that have hampered an effective response.

Other notable reports this week include the saga of a notorious Venezuelan prison boss who killed himself in Bogotá. Meanwhile, accusations and evidence against Mexico’s former security chief Genaro García Luna are piling up in two US courts.
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** A Long Way to Go: Responses to Environmental Crime in Colombia's Amazon ([link removed])
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The presence of corrupt actors who have a vested interest in allowing environmental crime to happen coupled with an overall lack of capacity, resources and political will to combat related activities, is an explosive mix that is destroying Colombia’s Amazon.

While there are efforts to stiffen resilience to environmental crime in the region, including new legislative frameworks, some demonstrations of political will and leadership on the government’s part, and international cooperation, there is still a long way to go.

See the entire investigation > ([link removed])


** Featured
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** Ecuador’s Prison Slaughterhouse a Warning to Rest of Latin America ([link removed])
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Ecuador is reeling from its worst-ever prison massacre, but the factors that led to this situation could well be replicated in other countries across the region.

On September 28, fighting broke out at a prison in Guayaquil between two large gangs, the Choneros and the Lobos. Two major riots took place during the day, leading to at least 116 inmates losing their lives, according to official figures.

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** NewsAnalysis
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All News ([link removed]) >
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** Memo Fantasma Wants Out of Prison in Colombia ([link removed])
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Accused paramilitary drug lord “Memo Fantasma,” or “Will the Ghost,” has petitioned a judge to be let out of a Colombian prison while he awaits trial. Worth millions...

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** Accusations against Mexico’s Former Top Cop Grow in US Courts ([link removed])
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Evidence and accusations are piling up against Mexico's former top security official Genaro García Luna, as US prosecutors proffer new...

Mexico's Geoduck Clams Latest Casualty of Asian Demand ([link removed])
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Migrant Smuggling Routes, Hideouts in Colombia's Indigenous Lands ([link removed])
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Brazil's Santa Catarina Becoming Country's MDMA Hub ([link removed])
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Fowl Play – How Contraband Chicken is Flooding Paraguay ([link removed])
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Death of a Pran: Suicide Marks Venezuela Former Prison Boss’ Decline ([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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** Los Choneros ([link removed])
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Los Choneros is one of Ecuador’s most prominent criminal groups, which first emerged in the late 1990s as a drug...
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** Sinaloa Cartel ([link removed])
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The Sinaloa Cartel, often described as the largest and most powerful drug trafficking organization in...


** Media Mentions
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SEPTEMBER 15, 2021
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"According to InSight Crime, El Viceroy managed to establish one of the most crucial alliances in 2008 by partnering with former allies of El Chapo, the Beltran Leyva Organization."

Read our profile of El Viceroy > ([link removed])


** Impact
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** Probing Organized Crime in Haiti ([link removed])
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InSight Crime has made it a priority to investigate organized crime in Haiti, where an impotent state is reeling after the July assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, coupled with an earthquake. This turmoil has emboldened already powerful criminal gangs. Violence, blockades and kidnappings have engulfed parts of the country, making it one of the most unstable in the Americas. In this challenging environment, InSight Crime has dispatched two field teams to conduct on-the-ground investigations, collecting information on armed actors, drug trafficking and a nexus of political elites and organized crime. Our recent reports on Haiti also include a profile on ruthless former cop and gang boss Jimmy Chérizier, alias "Barbecue ([link removed]) ,"; a look at how human smugglers profit ([link removed]) from the movement of desperate Haitian migrants; and a
series of articles on the murky murder plot ([link removed]) that led to the assassination of the president.
See all recent coverage of Haiti > ([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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