Q&A: How Sand Trafficking in Brazil Became a Highly Lucrative Crime
Brazilian authorities have launched a series of operations targeting illegal sand extraction as part of a renewed commitment to fighting…
Venezuela’s Most Wanted List Notable for Its Absences
A recently released list of Venezuela’s most wanted criminals has brought attention to some of the country’s most important organized…
Amazon Protection Pact Falls Short on Tackling Organized Crime
South American nations have signed a landmark pact to protect the Amazon rainforest, but the agreement fails to offer comprehensive…
Expanding Drug Trafficking on Peru’s Borders With Colombia and Brazil
The Amazon forest and watershed shared by Peru, Colombia, and Brazil provide ideal cover for coca cultivation and processing. As…
Challenges and Opportunities in Protecting Amazon Tri-Border Regions
Scattered domestic laws and competing interests intersect in the tri-border regions of the Amazon. Commitments to protecting its wilderness change…
Environmental Crimes Plague Amazon’s Tri-Border Regions
Deep in the heart of the Amazon basin lie two tri-border regions, where environmental crimes and their perpetrators recognize no…
Digging Into a Toxic Trade: Illegal Mining in Amazon Tri-Border Regions
Illegal mining is by far the most widespread and insidious environmental crime occurring in the Amazon’s tri-border regions. In the…
Firearms, Disappearances, Prison Overcrowding: Brazil’s Problems Are Getting Worse
From overpopulated, crumbling prisons to tens of thousands of disappearances every year, as well as millions of weapons in circulation,…
How Criminal Groups Helped Fill Venezuela’s Post-Chávez Void
When Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez succumbed to cancer in 2013, a perfect storm of crises was already looming on the…
In Venezuela, Contraband Networks Supply Rampant Wildcat Mining
An entire contraband supply chain has sprung up to keep illegal mining functioning in Venezuela’s southern Yapacana National Park, providing…