Weekly InSight
March 3, 2022 ([link removed])

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This week, we publish our latest investigation ([link removed]) , “Peace Leaders in Putumayo, Colombia Bet Their Lives on Coca Crop Substitution.” We traveled to Putumayo, a department in southern Colombia, to document the stories of community leaders who supported crop substitution despite violent threats from FARC dissidents. For these armed groups, replacing coca means replacing the base ingredient for their valuable illicit commodity: cocaine.

We also analyze ([link removed]) the flaws and human rights concerns related to Venezuela’s anti-gang “mega-operations.”

And we review ([link removed]) how new charges filed in the US against a growing part of the MS13’s leadership structure could be significant, particularly for the gang’s Mexico Program.


** Latest Investigation
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Peace Leaders in Putumayo, Colombia Bet Their Lives on Coca Crop Substitution ([link removed])
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Community leaders in Colombia's Putumayo department have historically supported coca substitution programs as part of peace processes aimed at resolving the country's long-running civil conflict. But they put their lives at risk by betting on change and seeking new opportunities for the department, where ex-FARC mafia factions earn huge profits from drug trafficking. This story tells how these leaders in Putumayo face these challenges.

Click here to read the investigation > ([link removed])


** Featured
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** Brutal but Futile: Venezuela's Anti-Gang 'Mega-Operations'
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For three days in July 2021, the Caracas neighborhood of Cota 905 became an urban warzone. Just blocks away from Venezuela's Miraflores presidential palace, over 3,000 police and military backed by armored vehicles fought street by street as residents cowered in flimsy breezeblock houses.

This show of force was not intended to face down an army, nor even a militia or paramilitary group. The enemy was a heavily armed and deeply entrenched street gang, led by a notorious gangster and made up mostly of young extortionists and drug dealers.

Read the analysis > ([link removed])


** NewsAnalysis
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All News ([link removed]) >
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** MS13’s Mexico Program Key to El Salvador Gang Negotiations ([link removed])
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US authorities have made several arrests that could strike a big blow to the MS13’s Mexico Program...

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** Haiti’s Rural Gangs Threaten Food Production as Hunger Crisis Looms ([link removed])
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Rural gangs have clashed with police in Haiti’s primary agricultural region in the latest sign...



Pablo Escobar and the Real Criminal Story of the Cocaine Bear ([link removed])
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Venezuelan Migrants Remain Easy Prey for Organized Crime ([link removed])


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


** Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted
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This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast ([link removed]) , where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics of organized crime in Latin America.

Read our GameChangers 2022 ([link removed]) > ([link removed])

And our coverage of Venezuela, with the recent publication of our Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory continued to be cited, including Caracol Radio ([link removed]) in Colombia, El Economista ([link removed]) in Argentina, Internazionale ([link removed]) in Italy, and La Patilla ([link removed]) and El Universal ([link removed]) in Venezuela.

Check out the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory ([link removed]) 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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** MS13 ([link removed])
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The Mara Salvatrucha, or MS13, is perhaps the most notorious street gang in the Western Hemisphere...
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** Ex-FARC Mafia ([link removed])
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The ex-FARC mafia are a series of criminal structures that emerged during the peace negotiations...


** Media Mentions
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About Us ([link removed])
FEBRUARY 23, 2023
LATIN AMERICA P ([link removed]) OST ([link removed])

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"According to InSight Crime, the main driver of the increase in crime in Ecuador is the increase in the arrival of cocaine. With Colombia as the main producer of cocaine in the world to the north, the arrival of this substance is difficult to control."

Read the cited article > ([link removed])


** Our Trending Topics
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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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