Weekly InSight
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This week, InSight Crime tells the story of two women whose young lives were shattered by Hernán Giraldo, a paramilitary warlord who used his position in the Sierra Nevada, along Colombia’s Caribbean Coast, to commit widespread sexual violence. The three-part series looks at the women’s quest for justice at the same time that Giraldo – who has never been convicted of sex crimes – returned to Colombia after a 12-year prison sentence in the United States for drug trafficking. 

Other notable reports include a look at continued mass arrests in El Salvador at the behest of President Nayib Bukele, who insists his sweeping gang crackdown will restore order to the small Central American nation, despite evidence to the contrary. A Sinaloa Cartel cocaine broker is captured in the Colombian city of Cali, and kidnappings in Haiti are on the rise. 

Featured

The Paramilitaries and Sexual Violence Along Colombia's Caribbean Coast

This investigation tells the stories of Carolina and Karen, two survivors of sexual violence by Hernán Giraldo, one of Colombia’s most infamous paramilitary commanders. They are part of over 200 girls and women who were abused by Giraldo and his men in the northern Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range.

Giraldo used sexual abuse and rape to cement his absolute control over local populations and dominate this part of Colombia from the 1990s until the early 2000s. Years later, Karen and Carolina continue to suffer from the physical and psychological scars of these crimes as they try to move on with their lives.

NewsAnalysis

El Salvador Shifts Mano Dura Security Policies into Overdrive


With a near unprecedented wave of arrests, the El Salvador government is doubling down and expanding on heavy-handed security policies... 

Has Cali Become an Operational Hub for Mexican Cartels in Colombia?


The extent to which Mexican cartels maintain an active presence in Colombia is again up for debate...
Haiti's Kidnapping Crisis Grows Ever More Desperate in 2022
São Paulo's 'Crackland' Drug Market Finds New Real Estate
How Venezuelan Gangs Masquerade as Community Organizers to Secure Territory
Mexico's Vaquita Marina Struggle to Survive Amidst Intense Illegal Fishing in Mexico
Mexico's Cartels Corner the Chinese Market for Illegal Wildlife

Criminal Actors

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

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400 Mawozo

The 400 Mawozo (400 Lame Men) gang is currently the largest active criminal group in Haiti. Led by Joseph Wilson, alias “Lanmò...

MS13

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

Media Mentions

"If Bukele was serious about addressing corruption and gang violence, he wouldn’t have released four dangerous MS-13 leaders back into society. These men should be facing their day in court, not out free to continue terrorizing the citizens of El Salvador."

US Rep. Norma Torres highlights our report on missing MS13 gang leaders.

Impact

Venezuela’s Cocaine Revolution

 
On April 27, InSight Crime will publish a groundbreaking investigation on drug trafficking in Venezuela. A product of three years of field research across the country, the study uncovers cocaine production in Venezuela and exposes how the regime of President Nicolás Maduro seeks to regulate the cocaine business in its desperate quest for hard currency. 

To coincide with the launch of the investigation, InSight Crime will hold a discussion with Co-director Jeremy McDermott and a panel of experts about the investigation’s findings and their ramifications for organized crime across the region. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions during the virtual conference on Thursday, April 28, at 10 a.m. Colombia time (11 a.m. EST). 

The conference will be in Spanish, although later the entire recording will be put on InSight Crime's YouTube channel with English subtitles.

The drug trafficking investigation is but the latest in InSight Crime’s seminal coverage of organized crime in Venezuela – coverage that has led to the government to block our website

Our Trending Topics 

GENDER AND CRIME
SINALOA CARTEL
HAITI
TREN DE ARAGUA
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InSight Crime · Medellin · Medellin 0000 · Colombia