This article was originally published by openSecurity on 18 May 2015. Violence is escalating again in El Salvador. March 2015 was the most violent month in over a decade, and the government is preparing army and police battalions to fight the gangs. These…
Category: Narco-Terrorism
Honduras Following El Salvador towards gang truce
SUMMARY On May 28th Honduras released a rare piece of good news, with the announcement that two of the country’s major criminal gangs, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Mara 18 (M-18), had agreed to a truce. The agreement was negotiated by…
Zetas leader arrested in Mexico
The leader of the Los Zetas drug cartel was arrested on Wednesday in the city of Santillo, in the northern Coahuila state. During the operation that led to his capture, one person was killed and eight others injured, including three…
CRIME WARS: GANGS, CARTELS AND U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY
As illustrated by the unprecedented violence in Mexico, drug trafficking groups have evolved to not only pose significant challenges to that country, but to governments and societies across the Western Hemisphere, including the United States. Crime Wars: Gangs, Cartels and U.S. National…
Colombia/Insurgency: At least 28 soldiers injured as car bomb explodes in Arauca department
The explosion of a car bomb injured at least 28 soldiers on Thursday morning. Reportedly, the explosion occurred in the Tame municipality, located less than 65 kilometres from theVenezuelan border in the eastern Arauca department.
Brazil/Organised Crime: Police claims to have regained control over Complexo do Alemão
Over 2,600 Special Forces raided the Complexo do Alemão, a complex of 13 favela’s, were an estimated 600 gang members sought refuge after intensified police operations on Sunday. Police officials said that they met “little resistance” and claimed to have taken…
The Further Narco-Terrorist Ties of the Chávez Government
By Douglas Farah The August arrest of major drug kingpin Walid Makled a Venezuelan financial stalwart of the Chávez government in Venezuela has not drawn a great deal of attention here. But it goes to the heart of the criminal-terrorist nexus…
Mexico politics: Whither the war on drugs?
FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT There has been widespread domestic and international criticism of the Mexican government’s inability to tackle spiralling levels of drug-related violent crime. Increasingly, Mexicans are calling for a new approach to the drug war launched in…
Mexico/Organised Crime: Mayor killed as Tamaulipa violence escalates
International Media Reported that the Mayor of the north Mexican city of Hidalgo in Tamaulipas State was killed by suspected drug hit men on Sunday. Authorities stated that gunmen ambushed Mayor Marco Antonio Leal Garcia and opened fire on his car while he…
72 bodies found on ranch in Mexico
(CNN) — The Mexican Navy discovered 72 dead bodies on a ranch Tuesday in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, a statement released by the agency said.