Weekly InSight
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

Are MS13 Leaders Wanted for Extradition to US Free in El Salvador?

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 >

NewsAnalysis

Gang Murder Rampage Sends Shockwaves Through El Salvador Government


A killing spree unlike anything seen since El Salvador’s civil war has delivered a macabre message
... 

Mexico Claims Premature Victory After Troops Deployed to Calm Nuevo Laredo


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
Raid Highlights Role of Bolivia Private Aerodromes in Cocaine Corridor
Chile Becomes Increasingly Fertile Ground for Marijuana Plantations
How Extortion Became Fixed Business Cost for Restaurants in Quintana Roo
Colombia's Caribbean Drug Route Alive and Well Around San Andres Archipelago

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

Browse by country >

MS13

The Mara Salvatrucha, or MS13, is perhaps the most notorious street gang in the Western Hemisphere. While it has...

Barrio 18

The 18th Street Gang, also known as “Barrio 18,” is one of the largest youth gangs in the Western Hemisphere...

Media Mentions
MARCH 29, 2022
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
"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)"

Impact

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 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. SinEmbargo and Proyecto CINCO in Mexico, and national media in Bolivia, Chile and Peru.
 

Our Trending Topics 
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CARIBBEAN
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InSight Crime · Medellin · Medellin 0000 · Colombia