Weekly InSight
January 13, 2023 ([link removed])

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** Message from InSight Crime’s Directors
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Happy New Year to all our readers!

We had a very successful 2022, thanks to support from our readers. If you have not yet made a donation, please help us out ([link removed]) , as 2023 is going to be a busy year.

We are going to be watching Colombia’s attempts to make peace ([link removed]) with the last warring factions, even as cocaine production ([link removed]) spikes; we are doing deep-dive investigations into fentanyl ([link removed]) and the deadly effects it is having in the United States and elsewhere; we will be focusing on Venezuela ([link removed]) and the accelerated development of transnational organized crime ([link removed]) there, as Venezuelans continue to flee the country; and we have several high-impact regional investigations slated.

Please keep reading!


** 2022 in Numbers
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** 2022 Retrospective
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Last year, we covered emerging criminal themes in detail: the migration of Colombia’s war to Venezuela ([link removed]) and the challenges facing Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s bid for an agreement with criminal groups ([link removed]) ; to the dramatic increase in fentanyl ([link removed]) trafficking to the United States by Mexican drug trafficking organizations; and the ongoing evolution of the cocaine pipeline to Europe. ([link removed])


** Top 5 of 2022
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1. El Salvador's Attorney General Worked for Top MS13 Ally ([link removed])
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2. Tusi: The Pink Drug Cocktail That Tricked Latin America ([link removed])
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3. InSight Crime's 2021 Homicide Round-Up ([link removed])
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4. How TikTok Shows Untold Truths of Communities Linked to Drug Trafficking ([link removed])
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5. GameChangers 2022: How the Chapitos Became Hyper-Capitalist Narcos ([link removed])


** GameChangers 2022
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At the end of last year, InSight Crime explored the most relevant criminal trends across Latin America in our six-part GameChangers 2022 ([link removed]) series.

Read each part here:
‘Pink Cocaine,’ Cross-Border Battles, and the Frustrating Fight Against Mafia States ([link removed])
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How the Chapitos Became Hyper-Capitalist Narcos ([link removed])
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El Salvador's Gang Crackdown Has Steep Human Rights Cost ([link removed])
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Maduro Seeks to Be Venezuela’s Criminal Kingmaker ([link removed])
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Could 'Total Peace' Lead to Disarmament of Colombia's Armed Groups? ([link removed])
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Drug Bonanza Amid Prohibition Challenges in 2023 ([link removed])


** This Week
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This week, InSight Crime analyzes the repercussions of the capture of Ovidio Guzmán López ([link removed]) , son of infamous drug lord Joaquín Guzmán Loera, alias "El Chapo." How will the arrest of Ovidio, co-founder of the Chapitos faction of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, impact fentanyl trafficking to the United States?

As the Chapitos struggle, another of Mexico’s drug trafficking organizations is resurgent. The Familia Michoacana has been quiet for years, but now it’s back ([link removed]) and has both Mexico City and the US methamphetamine market in its sights.

Finally, we assess Ecuador’s novel drug reuse initiative ([link removed]) that transforms cocaine into construction materials.


** Featured
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** How Will Ovidio's Arrest in Mexico Affect Sinaloa Cartel and the Fentanyl Trade?
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Arresting Ovidio Guzmán wasn't easy. It was never going to be. With El Chapo's prison escapes and Ovidio's tumultuous first arrest and release in 2019, keeping the Guzmán family behind bars has been difficult.

This one was no different. Nearly 30 people were killed in Culiacán, the state capital of Sinaloa, during the operation that ended in his arrest, including ten soldiers. Dozens of other soldiers were also wounded.

Read the analysis > ([link removed])


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


** Concrete Cocaine: Ecuador's Pioneering Drug Destruction Method ([link removed])
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With historic levels of cocaine seizures happening across Latin America, how can governments safely and quickly get rid of the drugs they confiscate?

[link removed]


** 3 Takeaways From the Return of the Familia Michoacana ([link removed])
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The Familia Michoacana, a formerly powerful Mexican drug trafficking cartel whose influence waned drastically some five years ago...

Cocaine Trade Grows in East and Southern Africa ([link removed])
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Hong Kong Traffickers Receive Cocaine From Across Latin America ([link removed])
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E-Scooter Is Vehicle of Choice for Fashionable Argentina Traffickers ([link removed])
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How Important Is Peru’s Port of Callao for Cocaine Trade? ([link removed])


** Impact
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What We Do ([link removed])


** World Looks to InSight Crime for Mexico Expertise
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Our coverage of the arrest of Chapitos’ co-founder Ovidio Guzmán López in Mexico has received worldwide attention.

In the UK, outlets including The Independent ([link removed]) and BBC News Mundo ([link removed]) referred to our work, while in Colombia, El Tiempo ([link removed]) cited our coverage. Newspapers in Paraguay ([link removed]) , Costa Rica ([link removed]) , and Brazil ([link removed]) used InSight Crime as a point of reference for their own reporting, while Mexico’s El Universal ([link removed])
interviewed InSight Crime managing editor Chris Dalby, who authored the piece.
Read our coverage of Ovidio Guzmán López’s capture > ([link removed])

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