The Lives Behind the Headlines | Season 2 of InSight Crime’s Podcast
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From Criminal Federation to Gang Wars: Rasquiña’s Legacy
An increasingly fragmented underworld has turned Ecuador into a battleground, with rival gangs driving violence to record levels in recent…
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…
Fito’s Wife and Daughter Captured in Colombia | On the Radar
Ecuadorian and Colombian authorities captured the wife and daughter of former Choneros leader alias “Fito” in Santander, Colombia, the most…
William Joffre Alcívar Bautista, alias “Willy”
William Joffre Alcívar Bautista, alias “El Negro Willy” or just “Willy,” went from prison guard to founder of Ecuador’s Tiguerones…
The InSight Take: US Drug Certification: Law Enforcement or Politics?
Why did the United States remove Venezuela from its drug blacklist while Colombia and Bolivia remain on it? In this…
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…
On the Radar: Ecuador Boat Strikes, Peru Prisons, and Bolivia’s Coca Surge
What’s different about the US anti-drug strategy in Ecuador? Is Keiko Fujimori delivering on her tough-on-crime campaign promises in Peru?…