This week, InSight Crime looks at the latest armed stoppage by the National Liberation Army (ELN)

Weekly InSight
March 4, 2022 ([link removed])

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This week, InSight Crime looks at the latest armed stoppage by the National Liberation Army (ELN), as the guerrilla force sought to paralyze parts of Colombia. Once an overlooked player in in Colombia’s civil conflict, the group – whose war against the state enters its 58th year – has come to dominate the country’s criminal landscape, while also operating out of Venezuela, where it profits from illegal mining and drug trafficking. We also report on how the ELN’s recent gains in Venezuela are occurring just as security forces have killed a string of gang bosses who fell out of favor with the regime of President Nicolás Maduro.

Notable reports from elsewhere in the region include Albanian traffickers being gunned down in Ecuador; the Barrio 18 street gang pilfering pandemic relief funds in El Salvador; and how cartel gunmen shooting mourners at a wake exemplifies the hyper-violence in Mexico’s Michoacán state.


** Featured
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** ELN Show of Force Confirms its Unmatched Criminal Presence in Colombia ([link removed])
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Torched cars. Explosive attacks. Armed patrols. After dozens of coordinated events to paralyze portions of Colombia, ELN militants underscored that the armed group remains the country's main criminal menace and threat to security.

Between February 23 and 26, the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional - ELN) orchestrated a so-called paro armado, or armed strike across Colombia that included violent attacks, according to the Institute for Peace and Development Studies (Instituto de Estudios para el Desarrollo y la Paz - Indepaz).

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** NewsAnalysis
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** Is This the End for Venezuela’s Megagangs? ([link removed])
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Security forces in Venezuela have killed a string of infamous gang bosses, indicating that the gangs are no longer operating with impunity as they have for years, though some have managed to avoid...

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** Funeral Massacre Latest Example of Extreme Violence Causing Michoacán Exodus ([link removed])
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Without the bodies, the exact number of people executed in broad daylight at a funeral in Mexico's...

Barrio 18 Poses as Vendors to Pilfer El Salvador Pandemic Funds ([link removed])
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Albanian Drug Traffickers Jockey for Position in Ecuador ([link removed])
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Fired El Salvador Prison Workers Claim Irregularities Facilitated Gang Negotiation ([link removed])
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Liquid Meth Produced in Mexico Streams Across US Border ([link removed])
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Paraguay: The New Safe Haven for Brazilian Traffickers, Money Launderers ([link removed])
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Colombia Military Killing of Ex-FARC Commander 'Arturo' Rattles 10th Front ([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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** ELN ([link removed])
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The National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional - ELN) is one of the two main guerrilla armies...
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** CJNG ([link removed])
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The Jalisco Cartel New Generation (Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación - CJNG) is a criminal group that has evolved...
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InSight Crime is seeking an English language editor to elevate our daily coverage and guide our accomplished team of correspondents around the region. As editor, you’ll be integral in leading the in-depth investigations and hard-hitting news reports published on our website, which provide the most comprehensive coverage of organized crime in the Americas.

We’re also looking for a media and public relations professional who will have the opportunity to amplify the reach and impact of work that generates headlines in the Americas and beyond.

Learn more about the positions > ([link removed])
Candidates should send a cover letter and CV to [email protected]


** Media Mentions
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About Us ([link removed])
FEBRUARY 27, 2022
FINANCIAL TIMES ([link removed])

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"A joint study by InSight Crime and the American University’s Center for Latin American & Latino Studies points out that in 2020 federal police tracked more than $5bn in ill-gotten assets — including vehicles, homes and boats — as part of anti-money laundering investigations against the PCC."

Read the investigation > ([link removed])


** Impact
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** In the News
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InSight Crime takes pride in its investigators being go-to sources for media reporting on organized crime. Colombia investigator Javier Lizcano was featured by Colombia’s Cable Noticias ([link removed]) , a 24-hour news channel, in a report ([link removed]) on one of the country’s largest trafficking groups after the arrest of its leader, paramilitary drug lord Dairo Antonio Úsuga, alias “Otoniel ([link removed]) .” Lizcano spoke about how the Urabeños, also known as the Gulf Clan, have shown an uncanny ability to reform themselves after losing leaders in the past.

See our latest coverage of the Urabeños > ([link removed])


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