Weekly InSight
This week, InSight Crime launches an investigation into the criminal chaos wrought by Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro's attempts to control mining in the country's Amazon, a region rich in gold. We also provide a neighborhood breakdown of the powerful gangs in charge of Caracas' street drug trade and examine whether Mexico's cartels are behind the latest deadly riot in Ecuador's prisons.

Notable reports from elsewhere in the region include Jamaica's largest gang trial; record cocaine seizures in Hong Kong; armed illegal fishing fleets in the waters off Colombia's San Andrés; and the arrest of Rosalinda González Valencia, the wife of CJNG cartel boss Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias "El Mencho." 

Featured

Maduro's El Dorado: Gangs, Guerrillas
and Gold in Venezuela

The Maduro regime's attempts to control mining riches in Venezuela's southeastern state of Bolívar has touched off a battle among rebel fighters, gangs and corrupt state elements seeking the country's gold. This three-part series starts with Maduro's plan to hand over mines to governors – which backfired when local gangs took on security forces deployed to drive them out. We then reveal how fighters with Colombia's National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional - ELN) soon entered the fray in a bid to benefit the rebel group and its government backers. The series wraps up with the emergence of criminal mining syndicate Organization R, which has skillfully blended firepower with social work and political action to position itself a top power in Bolívar's mining heartland.
Read the entire series:

1. The Governors, the Gang and the War for Bolívar's Gold
2. Metal Hands and Rubber Feet: Colombian Guerrillas and Venezuelan Gold
3. 'The Rebel of the South': Rise of the R Organization

NewsAnalysis

El Koki or Wilexis – Who Runs Caracas' Most Powerful Drug Gang?


Unsurprisingly, Caracas consumes more drugs than anywhere else in Venezuela. And despite a catastrophic economic crisis... 

Lots of Blame, Little Proof - Mexico's Cartels Behind Violence in Ecuador?


After yet another prison massacre, Ecuadorean authorities have doubled down on Mexico’s two biggest....
El Mencho's Wife Arrested - What Does it Mean for Jalisco Cartel?
Klansman Trial Reveals Jamaica's Sophisticated Gang Dynamics
Cocaine Seizures Soar as Hong Kong Becomes Regional Drug Hub
Colombia's San Andrés Losing Battle Against Illegal Fishing
A Faustian Bargain: The Cost of Restoring Haiti's Fuel Supply

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

Browse by country >

Alias 'El Mencho'

Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias "El Mencho," is the leader and founder of the Jalisco Cartel – New Generation (CJNG)...

CJNG

The Jalisco Cartel New Generation (Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación - CJNG) is a criminal group that has evolved as a result of killings, captures...

Media Mentions
NOVEMBER 8, 2021
THE DALLAS EXPRESS
"The Gulf Cartel is one of the most prominent drug cartels in Mexico. According to InSight Crime, the Gulf Cartel is most active in Tamaulipas’ northeastern Mexican border state, with key operational bases in Matamoros, Nuevo Laredo, and Reynosa"
 

Impact

InSight Crime Names Two New Board Members


In recent weeks, InSight Crime added two new members to its board. Joy Olson is the former executive director of the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) and is currently a consultant for numerous non-governmental organizations, including Oxfam and Save the Children. Michael Shifter is the president of the Inter-American Dialogue and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. Both have years of experience in the NGO and citizen security worlds. They join Eric Hershberg, the director of the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies at American University, Arlene Tickner, a political science professor at the Universidad del Rosario in Bogotá, and Alejandro Hope, a security specialist.
 

Our Trending Topics 
THE CHONEROS
ECUADOR
G9 AND FAMILY
MEXICO
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.
SUPPORT OUR WORK
DONATE TODAY
Facebook InSight Crime
Twitter InSight Crime
LinkedIn InSight Crime
 


InSight Crime is sponsored by:
American University
Open Society Foundations
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency

Copyright © 2021 InSight Crime, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you have signed up to receive InSight Crime's top weekly content.
unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences 






This email was sent to [email protected]
why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences
InSight Crime · Medellin · Medellin 0000 · Colombia