Long-simmering tensions between the government of President Nayib Bukele and El Salvador’s gangs erupted at the weekend.

Weekly InSight
April 1, 2022 ([link removed])

View in your browser ([link removed])
Long-simmering tensions between the government of President Nayib Bukele and El Salvador’s gangs erupted at the weekend. Sixty-two people were murdered in 24 hours, the bloodiest tally in around three decades. InSight Crime examined how this was likely caused by a breakdown in negotiations between authorities and gangs, as well as how El Salvador has apparently systematically been releasing the MS13’s most powerful leaders from prison.

Elsewhere, we investigated why Mexico’s claims of security wins along the US border ring hollow, how Bolivia’s private airfields are being taken over by drug traffickers, and what is behind Chile’s rising status as a marijuana producer.


** Featured
------------------------------------------------------------
[link removed]


** Are MS13 Leaders Wanted for Extradition to US Free in El Salvador? ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

Between July 2021 and February 2022, the government of President Nayib Bukele released four top leaders of the MS13 in El Salvador, all of whom were facing extradition to the United States, according to prison and court documents accessed by InSight Crime.

Elmer Canales Rivera, alias "Crook"; Eduardo Erazo Nolasco, alias "Colocho"; Hugo Armando Quinteros Mineros, alias "Flaco"; and Efraín Cortez, alias "Tigre," are all members of the MS13's Ranfla, a sort of governing body made up of leading gang members, mostly behind bars. However, the legal status of all four is currently "inactive" due to being released from prison, according to records from El Salvador’s Penitentiary Information System (Sistema de Información Penitenciaria - SIPE) and sources within the General Directorate of Prisons (Dirección General de Centros Penales).

Read the analysis > ([link removed])


** NewsAnalysis
------------------------------------------------------------
All News ([link removed]) >
[link removed]


** Gang Murder Rampage Sends Shockwaves Through El Salvador Government ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
A killing spree unlike anything seen since El Salvador’s civil war has delivered a macabre message
...

[link removed]


** Mexico Claims Premature Victory After Troops Deployed to Calm Nuevo Laredo ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
According to the Mexican president, the recent arrest of the alleged leader of the Northeast Cartel...

Militias Fleece Locals for Basic Services in Rio Favelas ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Raid Highlights Role of Bolivia Private Aerodromes in Cocaine Corridor ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Chile Becomes Increasingly Fertile Ground for Marijuana Plantations ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
How Extortion Became Fixed Business Cost for Restaurants in Quintana Roo ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Colombia's Caribbean Drug Route Alive and Well Around San Andres Archipelago ([link removed])


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

Browse by country > ([link removed])
[link removed]


** MS13 ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
The Mara Salvatrucha, or MS13, is perhaps the most notorious street gang in the Western Hemisphere. While it has...
[link removed]


** Barrio 18 ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
The 18th Street Gang, also known as “Barrio 18,” is one of the largest youth gangs in the Western Hemisphere...


** Media Mentions
------------------------------------------------------------
About Us ([link removed])
MARCH 29, 2022
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL ([link removed])

[link removed]
"Jamaica remained the most violent country in Latin America and the Caribbean last year (with a homicide rate of 49.4 per 100,000 inhabitants), followed by Venezuela (40.9) and Honduras (38.6). (InSight Crime)"
Read the cited article > ([link removed])


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


** Informing US State Department and European Union
------------------------------------------------------------

InSight Crime Co-director McDermott briefed the US State Department and other international players on the presence of Colombian guerrillas in Venezuela and the implication this has for both nations.

McDermott also briefed the European Union on criminal dynamics in Colombia, particularly with relation as to how this effects migrant flows.

Alongside this, InSight Crime’s breakdown of the World’s Most Violent Cities 2021 ranking ([link removed]) received widespread attention, becoming our most-read article of the week in both languages. Our analysis of the region’s homicide hotspots, including northeast Brazil and Mexico’s tourist destinations, was republished or sparked further coverage by OpenDemocracy ([link removed]) . SinEmbargo ([link removed]) and Proyecto CINCO ([link removed]) in Mexico, and national media in Bolivia ([link removed]) , Chile
([link removed]) and Peru ([link removed]) .

Read our full analysis here ([link removed]) > ([link removed])


** Our Trending Topics
------------------------------------------------------------
Browse by Country ([link removed])
EL SALVADOR ([link removed])
CARIBBEAN ([link removed])
MS13 ([link removed])
MARIJUANA ([link removed])

============================================================
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 ([link removed])
** DONATE TODAY ([link removed])
** Facebook InSight Crime ([link removed])
** Twitter InSight Crime ([link removed])
** LinkedIn InSight Crime ([link removed])
** Subscribe ([link removed])
** View past issues ([link removed])

InSight Crime is sponsored by:
** American University ([link removed])

** Open Society Foundations ([link removed])

** The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency ([link removed])
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 ([link removed])
** update subscription preferences ([link removed])

This email was sent to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
why did I get this? ([link removed]) unsubscribe from this list ([link removed]) update subscription preferences ([link removed])
InSight Crime . Medellin . Medellin 0000 . Colombia