Weekly InSight | 11 January 2012

Features
Political Uncertainty in Venezuela Feeds Crime and Violence
The rumors of President Hugo Chavez's imminent death, and the jostling for position among his possible successors, are creating conditions in which crime and violence are flourishing and likely to do so through 2013.

Report: 'Chapo' Guzman Grabs More Market Share in Colombia
Mexico's crime lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is tightening his grip on the production of cocaine and other illicit drugs throughout the Andean region, according to Mexico's leading news magazine.

Colombia's 'Madman': Security Boss or Top Drug Lord?
US indictments describe Daniel "El Loco" Barrera as a head of security, while Colombian authorities described him as the last of Colombia's major league capos. Which is he?

Analysis
Argentine 'Narco Jet' Trial Leaves Many Questions Unanswered
The two sons of a former air force general were sentenced to 13 years in prison for drug trafficking, the conclusion of a dramatic case indicative of Argentina's new status as a popular export point for cocaine.

Maras in Guatemala Increasing in Sophistication
The two principal Mara gangs in Guatemala, Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18, have been reorganizing themselves under more centralized leadership, presenting an increasing threat to the national security of this fragile Central American nation.

New Year Massacre Heralds More Violence for Medellin
Nine people were killed in a massacre in Medellin, heralding a new round of violence as different criminal factions seek to establish hegemony of the underworld in Colombia's second-largest city

News
Juarez Murder Rate Reaches 5-Year Low
Ciudad Juarez, once one of Mexico's most notorious and violent cities, saw its homicide rate drop over 60 percent between 2011 and 2012, a decrease which may have more to do with organized crime dynamics than security policy.
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FARC, Rastrojos Are Friends and Enemies: Naval Commander
Colombia's main criminal groups and leftist guerrillas along the Pacific Coast have aligned to traffic drugs in certain areas but are battling for control of these drugs in others, says the top commander of Colombia's Navy.

Venezuela with more than 21,600 murders in 2012: NGO
According to calculations made by a respected NGO, Venezuela is now far and away the most dangerous country in South America, with Caracas one of the most dangerous capitals in the world.


More News

Multimedia
Colombia discovers "narco-sub" adrift in the Pacific.

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