Audio | InSight Crime

En la última Historia narrada, analizamos el impacto de los ataques militares estadounidenses sobre el tráfico de drogas en el Caribe y cómo los grupos criminales se han adaptado al aumento de la presión.Esta semana, hemos elaborado una guía visual para mostrar cómo se ha movido históricamente la cocaína por el Caribe y cómo ciertas rutas pueden haberse visto afectadas por los ataques contra embarcaciones sospechosas de transportar drogas.Por qué la cocaína sigue fluyendo por el Caribe: una guía visual | Escrito por Alex Papadovassilakis y leído por Daniel Reyes.Visite insightcrime.org para más información.

En la Historia Narrada de esta semana, traemos una historia de éxito: cómo el centro del narcotráfico brasileño, el Puerto de Santos, ha logrado frenar el paso de drogas por sus aguas, con incautaciones que han caído un 75% en los últimos seis años. Nuestros investigadores reportaron esta historia desde el Puerto de Santos, y este episodio especial incluye videos y fotografías del terreno, además de infografías detalladas y material de archivo.¿El puerto más grande de Brasil está ganando la batalla contra los traficantes? | Escrito por Marina Cavalari y Christopher Newton, y leído por Daniel Reyes.Visite insightcrime.org para más información.

InSight Crime Investigator Victoria Dittmar and Co-Director Steven Dudley discuss how the killing of CJNG leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho" is going to impact the organization he led, as well as Mexico's criminal future, drawing on lessons from the past.Visit insightcrime.org for more information.

Bajo el gobierno del presidente Nayib Bukele, El Salvador se ha convertido en el modelo de una política de mano dura para combatir el crimen organizado, que gobiernos desde Estados Unidos hasta Ecuador y Argentina buscan emular.A pesar de denuncias de arrestos arbitrarios, juicios injustos, condiciones inhumanas en prisión —incluso torturas y ejecuciones extrajudiciales— pocos cuestionan la campaña antipandillas. Ni siquiera quienes abandonan El Salvador logran escapar de su alcance. Esta es la historia de un joven que, aunque no era perfecto, no tenía antecedentes de vínculos con pandillas, pero fue perseguido incluso después de haber dejado el país.Abusado y perseguido: cómo el régimen de excepción de El Salvador se internacionalizó | Escrito y leído por Carlos García.Visite insightcrime.org para más información.

Reports that the Jalisco Cartel New Generation is aiding the Chapitos faction of Sinaloa Cartel in parts of Mexico have been growing. InSight Crime’s Managing Editor Deborah Bonello and Senior Investigator Parker Asmann discuss the criminal alliance, its structure, and how it contradicts some of the mainstream narratives around organized crime in the region.Visit insightcrime.org for more information.

Since December 2023, the government of the province of Santa Fe, Argentina has invested in policing and prisons as a part of a new push against organized crime. Since then, the crime outside prisons has dropped significantly, and control has tightened inside; but the population inside prisons has continued skyrocketing.Dynamics between criminal groups inside the prisons, specifically inside the Piñero prison in the outskirts of Rosario, has for years been a threat to authorities trying to maintain control amid chaos in the wings.In this report from the field, we’ll look inside the Piñero prison, and shed light on the consequences of prisoner overpopulation, the presence of organized crime from within, and the Santa Fe government’s temporary solution to this pressing matter.Behind Bars in Argentina’s Organized Crime Hotspot | Written by Christopher Newton and read by Liza Schmidt.Visit insightcrime.org for more information.

En 2024 se interceptó un número casi sin precedentes de narcosubmarinos que cruzaban el Atlántico y el Pacífico, con buques cargados de droga que aparecen en nuevas zonas a medida que los traficantes utilizan cada vez más este discreto método de transporte para hacer llegar la cocaína a los mercados internacionales.Los narcosubmarinos existen desde hace décadas, y se utilizan principalmente para transportar cocaína con América Latina; estas embarcaciones difíciles de detectar están creciendo en número, alcance y sofisticación. InSight Crime revisó cientos de casos de embarcaciones semisumergibles interceptadas por las autoridades en todo el mundo para determinar qué nos dice el creciente uso de narcosubmarinos sobre las rutas del narcotráfico y la dinámica criminal.Lo que revelan cientos de incautaciones de narcosubmarinos sobre las rutas globales de cocaína | Escrito por Sam Woolston y Henry Shuldiner, y leído por Daniel Reyes.Visite insightcrime.org para más información.

In this episode, we explore the rise of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang that has gained international infamy in recent years. From its home base in a Venezuelan prison, Tren de Aragua rapidly expanded its influence across South America, and reports of alleged cells are surfacing with increasing frequency in the United States. But what’s really behind this gang’s meteoric rise?We take a deep dive into its history and current operations, shedding light on the myths and misconceptions surrounding its ascent. How exactly does the gang operate across borders? What are its connections to the Venezuelan government? What is the gang’s current structure, and how much of a threat does it really pose?To answer these questions, we speak with our deputy director of content, Mike LaSusa, who helps us break down the reality of Tren de Aragua. As the gang continues to make headlines across the region, we give you the history and context needed to understand the latest developments.Visit insightcrime.org for more information.

In our last episode of this season we explore the incredible life of Raúl Mijango, the rebel turned congressman turned gang mediator turned inmate who personified what has since become a lost cause in El Salvador: negotiating with street gangs. And, ironically, may have been one of the first victims of a controversial, hard line strategy that has since led to the incarceration of tens of thousands of Salvadorans. This was the last episode of our first season of InSight Crime’s Podcast. Let us know your thoughts in the comments! At InSight Crime, we investigate from the ground up, inspired by the idea that organized crime is not a boring multisyllabic expression or yet another true-crime story from the suburbs, but a matter of life and death for millions of people across the Americas.

Abraham Barberi is a walking paradox. He is from Mexico but lives in the United States. He does missionary work but plays guitar in a death metal band. He is a Baptist pastor but advocates for migrants and asylum seekers. This is the story of how he navigates these contradictions in Matamoros, the birthplace of Mexico’s Gulf Cartel and one of the country’s most dangerous cities. Sociedad Demente, by My place Was Taken.

In Colombia, farming coca for cocaine production provides an alternative livelihood in the midst of poverty and state abandonment. At the same time, coca cultivation brings a curse. Behind the coca trade are armed groups, massacres, murders, and displacements. This dichostomy can only be truly understood by those who have experienced it firsthand, as Ana has done. Through her story, InSight Crime explores the evolution of organized crime in Putumayo, Colombia — and how, despite promises of peace, coca continues to affect the fate of an entire department. More about this story and our coverage of coca, cocaine, and organized crime in Colombia at insightcrime.org

For over a decade, InSight Crime has investigated organized crime in the Americas. Across the hemisphere, we’ve interviewed thousands of people, from government insiders to victims caught in the crossfire, from criminal operators to tireless NGO leaders. We’ve also witnessed firsthand the many masks that organized crime wears in places where corruption often takes center stage. Throughout, we’ve discovered tales of anguish, resilience, unexpected joys, and undying hope. Join us on our podcast, as we decipher the various layers of corruption, unravel the complex dynamics of crime, and bear witness to the indomitable human spirit.