Jorge Luis Zambrano, alias “Rasquiña”
Jorge Luis Zambrano, alias “Rasquiña” or “JL,” was the charismatic leader of the Choneros, which, for years, was Ecuador’s most…
Why Ecuador Is Losing Its Fight Against Organized Crime
Ecuador’s militarized organized crime crackdown on gangs has failed to translate into a sustained reduction in violence. Three years in,…
Tiguerones Leader ‘Willy’ Is Living Free in Spain
William Joffre Alcívar Bautista, alias “Willy,” the alleged leader of the Tiguerones, one of the most powerful gangs in Ecuador…
The Tiguerones: US Terrorist Label Meets a Fracturing Gang in Ecuador
The Tiguerones, the Ecuadorian criminal group, was added to the US State Department’s list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) this…
Podcast | Gio and Fito: When Gangsta Rap Gets Real
Gio was a gangsta rapper. He was also the right-hand man of Ecuador’s most notorious criminal, Choneros boss “Fito.” *This…
The InSight Take: Ecuador’s Kingpin Strategy Has Tactical Wins, but Strategic Uncertainty
The capture of Ecuadorian crime boss Wilmer Chavarría, alias “Pipo,” was a major victory for President Daniel Noboa’s strategy of…
Mapping Latin America’s Megaprisons
In the three years since President of El Salvador Nayib Bukele opened his famous Terrorism Confinement Center (Centro de Confinamiento…
On the Radar: The Rise of Liquid Cocaine
Could liquid cocaine become the go-to trick for traffickers across the region? Will “El Mayo” Zambada spend his final years…
The InSight Take: Inside Ecuador’s Chone Killers, the Latest Addition to US Terrorism List
The US State Department has added the Chone Killers in Ecuador to its list of foreign terrorist organizations operating across…
Choneros’ Extraditions to US Will Test Ecuador’s Kingpin Strategy
The extraditions to the United States of key members of the Choneros is a litmus test for Ecuador’s kingpin strategy…