👉Join InSight Crime experts Sept. 29–Oct. 2 for three events on fentanyl, Venezuela after Maduro, and data-driven investigations. The Week Pass includes all three events, live Q&As, and a PDF on synthetic drugs.  bit.ly/4ibqhdy

Every local story reveals something bigger. Our reporting connects community experiences to the criminal dynamics shaping the Americas. Subscribe to Weekly InSight for the latest investigations: bit.ly/3UDKkaU

🇨🇴 | Extortion in Colombia increased in the first four months of 2026, following a 3.2% decline in 2025, according to a report by the DNP and Asocapitales. Learn more about extortion in Latin America and the Caribbean at: bit.ly/4dOmLTp

The Choneros, one of Ecuador’s most powerful criminal groups, was created by Jorge Luis Zambrano, alias “Rasquiña,” from prison. Explore to find out more about the man who turned his cell into a command center here: bit.ly/4dUhoSJ

Honduras approved plans to build a maximum-security prison modeled after El Salvador’s CECOT, designed to hold suspected gang members. How many countries across Latin America have followed Nayib Bukele’s hardline security playbook? More here: bit.ly/3T2JIev

Criminal trends, security updates, and stories from the field delivered to your inbox every week. Subscribe to InSight Crime’s newsletter for the most comprehensive analysis of organized crime in Latin America and the Caribbean.  bit.ly/4y0dzmm

A Guatemalan human smuggler received a 30-year prison sentence in the United States for his role in the death of 53 migrants in 2022. How has human smuggling into the United States changed since then? bit.ly/43mvoPo

🇲🇽 | The Chapitos and Mayiza factions of the Sinaloa Cartel have been waging an internal conflict for the last two years. Just this week, authorities arrested five Chapitos members suspected of being involved in the kidnapping and murder of 10 mine workers: bit.ly/3VWpXGs

🇪🇨 | Ecuador’s prisons were the incubators of the criminal groups that have turned it into one of the most violent countries in the world. We dive into the full history of its prison crisis in our new video: bit.ly/4zLipoB

🇧🇷 | The wife of Red Command’s leader Marcinho VP was arrested in connection with the gang’s monopoly over internet services. How does the Red Command’s control over internet services work? bit.ly/3FHlobg

🇭🇹 | Four Salvadoran soldiers went missing following a gang attack on foreign troops in Haiti. It is the first major attack since the start of operations by an international force. Learn more about organized crime in Haiti in our profile: bit.ly/3CMLacG

🇧🇷 | Brazilian police arrested 25 suspects linked to the Red Command’s role in internet provision in Rio de Janeiro. How have Brazilian gangs expanded their control over internet services? bit.ly/3FHlobg

🇪🇨 | Ecuador’s move to reclassify prisoners by how dangerous they are is the latest in a long line of attempted—and largely failed—reforms. Check out our new video to understand the history of Ecuador’s prison crisis: bit.ly/4zLipoB

🇲🇽 | Mexican authorities arrested five alleged members of the Chapitos, including alias “El Talibán,” who is suspected of being involved in the kidnapping and murder of 10 mine workers in January 2026. Read more about the war between the Chapitos and Mayiza: bit.ly/3VWpXGs

🇭🇹 | Gangs in Haiti are defying international forces. An attack in Croix-des-Bouquets, a stronghold of the 400 Mawozo gang, left four Salvadoran soldiers missing. Which criminal groups are operating in Haiti? Read our profile: bit.ly/3CMLacG

A Guardian investigation highlights the expansion of Latin American organized crime in Europe. Groups such as the PCC have found European countries to be an ideal place for laundering money and collaborating with local criminal networks. Read more: bit.ly/40yU4Cq

🇨🇱 | A member of the Tren de Aragua was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Chile for his involvement in the kidnapping and murder of former Venezuelan military officer Ronald Ojeda in 2024. Read more about the case and the Tren de Aragua gang: bit.ly/3U1NOE8

An operation in Rosario, Argentina, led to the arrest of six people suspected of belonging to a retail drug trafficking network linked to Los Monos. Violence has declined, but criminal groups remain active in outlying neighborhoods. What’s happening? Read more: bit.ly/4lN7WCe

🇵🇪 🇦🇷 | A triple femicide in Argentina in 2025 exposed a criminal network with unusual ties to Peru. Now, the arrest in Lima of alias “Papá,” the supposed leader of the gang allegedly behind the crime, has once again drawn attention to the case. Read more here: bit.ly/4nCLJrI

🇪🇨 | The alleged leader of a US-designated foreign terrorist organization lives freely in Spain. How did a former prison guard evade extradition after founding one of Ecuador’s most powerful gangs? bit.ly/4yifPoO

🇪🇨 | As of September 2026, the US has designated four criminal groups in Ecuador as foreign terrorist organizations: the Choneros, Lobos, Tiguerones, and Chone Killers. How did Ecuador go from being a peaceful country to a criminal hub? Find out more here: bit.ly/3Sg2Hh0