This week, InSight Crime investigates how the legalization of marijuana in many US states is impacting organized crime dynamics...
Weekly InSight
December 08, 2022 ([link removed])
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This week, InSight Crime investigates how the legalization of marijuana ([link removed]) in many US states is impacting organized crime dynamics in Mexico. From farmers entering crop substitution programs to criminal organizations entering a budding but still illegal local marijuana market, states like Sinaloa are going through an upheaval with long-standing consequences.
Also in Mexico, we turn our eye towards the soaring violence in Zacatecas ([link removed]) , where the assassination of a judge this week has come soon after the killing of the head of the National Guard. And we look at the downfall of Peru’s former President Pedro Castillo ([link removed]) following his failed self-coup and arrest. His predecessors have all faced corruption charges. He looks set to be next.
** Latest Investigation
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** The End of (Illegal) Marijuana: What It Means for Criminal Dynamics in Mexico ([link removed])
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The legalization of marijuana in some US states changed the game forever for Mexico’s drug trafficking organizations. Legalization caused demand for illegal marijuana to plummet, forcing illegal groups to ply their efforts into synthetic drugs, including methamphetamine and fentanyl. Those farming communities employed for decades to cultivate cannabis are now bereft of work. While some may be able to enter crop substitution programs, others have moved to the country’s major cities.
Read the investigation here:
1. Executive Summary and Major Findings ([link removed])
2. The Chapitos’ Monopoly on Drug Sales in Culiacán, Sinaloa ([link removed])
3. As Marijuana Fades, Sinaloa’s Organized Crime Does Not ([link removed])
4. Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations’ New Marijuana Strategies ([link removed])
** Featured
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** State Officials Targeted as CJNG, Sinaloa Cartel Clash in Zacatecas, Mexico ([link removed])
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The murders of state representatives in Zacatecas, a deeply troubled and strategically important state for Mexico’s most powerful cartels, is a concerning escalation of these groups’ efforts to control the state.
Judge Roberto Elías Martínez was shot twice in the head by armed assailants as he left his home in Guadalupe, a city adjacent to the city of Zacatecas, on the morning of December 3. His death was announced on Twitter a day later by the leader of Zacatecas’ judiciary, Arturo Nahle García. The judge had not received any threats against his life, said Nahle. No suspects have yet been named in the case.
Read the analysis > ([link removed])
** NewsAnalysis
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All News ([link removed]) >
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** From Maverick to Crook: The Predictable Downfall of Peru's Pedro Castillo ([link removed])
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Peru’s former President Pedro Castillo is both unoriginal and unique. Unoriginal in that he is the sixth president in six years...
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** How to Measure Coronavirus’ Criminal Impact in the Americas? Wait ([link removed])
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General Ulises Guillén, director of the Peruvian National Police (PNP) Anti-Trafficking and Migrant...
True Cost of El Salvador’s War on Gangs Still Being Tallied ([link removed])
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Mass Graves in Venezuela Connected to Disappearances in Illegal Mining Hub ([link removed])
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What Lies Behind Jamaica's Perpetual Loop of States of Emergency? ([link removed])
** Impact
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What We Do ([link removed])
** Immediate Response to US-Mexico Marijuana Investigation
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InSight Crime’s investigation into how the legalization of marijuana in many US states has changed Mexico’s criminal dynamics made a splash this week appearing on the front page ([link removed]) of Mexico’s leading newspaper, El Universal, as well as the newspaper’s website ([link removed]) . It was also reprinted in full by Revista Espejo and covered by The Diario de Yucatán ([link removed]) and Aristegui Noticias ([link removed]) .
InSight Crime Investigator Parker Asmann led the investigation and gave an interview to KJZZ Phoenix. Listen to the interview here ([link removed]) .
Read the marijuana investigation here > ([link removed])
Meanwhile, InSight Crime Investigator Victoria Dittmar was interviewed by El Universal ([link removed]) on the dramatic increase of fentanyl seizures on the US-Mexico border, as well as the uptick in Mexican fentanyl users seeking medical help.
Read the fentanyl investigation here > ([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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** Sinaloa Cartel
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The Sinaloa Cartel, often described as the largest and most powerful drug trafficking organization in...
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** Tren de Aragua
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Autoridades de Brasil han identificado a miembros de una “megabanda” carcelaria de Venezuela en el lado...
** Media Mentions
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About Us ([link removed])
DEC 6, 2022
GLOBAL FINANCIAL INTEGRITY ([link removed])
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"Transnational criminal organizations have been heavily involved in the totoaba trade for some time, as cartels began poaching the fish to cater to black-market demands in Asia, according to InSight Crime."
Read the cited article > ([link removed])
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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.
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