Portrait of a ‘Terrorist’ in El Salvador
The story of Dalila Johana Flores Flores is one of thousands of arbitrary detentions that have taken place in El…
El Salvador Police Reports Contradict Bukele’s Triumphalism
More than a dozen confidential reports from El Salvador’s National Civil Police obtained by InSight Crime reveal that, although “weakened”…
How El Salvador’s Police Creates, Uses Its Gang Database
Authorities routinely count gang “members” and, in the case of El Salvador, “aspiring” members and “collaborators.” But how do they…
El Salvador Escalates Gang Crackdown With New Measures
With the deployment of thousands of soldiers to rural El Salvador and new legislation permitting the trial of hundreds of…
Latin America’s Criminal Bankers: Explaining Colombians’ Monopoly on Gota-a-Gota
Three cases in recent weeks highlight how Colombian groups continue to dominate gota-a-gota loansharking schemes across Central and South America,…
Q&A: Voices Opposing Mano Dura Policies in Latin America Are Silenced
The long-term consequences of mano dura, or iron fist, law enforcement policies have become a growing consideration for Latin American…
Q&A: Latin American Children With Parents in Prison Get No Support
Despite wide-ranging evidence of the consequences of prison overcrowding, including widespread gang recruitment and extensive human rights abuses, Latin America…
Acquittal of Top MS13 Leader Weakens El Salvador’s Anti-Gang Rhetoric
A notorious drug trafficker and MS13 leader has been acquitted of drug trafficking charges in El Salvador, highlighting a contrast…
Honduras Makes Few Advances Against Crime During 6-Month State of Exception
The state of exception in Honduras has now been in place for six months. But contrary to government claims and…
‘Mula’: The Bridge Between MS13 and Mexican Mafia in Tijuana, Mexico
One afternoon in 1993, Nelson Alexander Flores Pacheco, better known as “Mula” within the MS13, took his knife, stabbed a…