Valor and the Ghost of the CIACS
Zury Ríos (Valor) is consistently near the top of the polls making her one of the frontrunners in a crowded…
Vamos: The Fight to Stay in the Game
The political bloc surrounding the administration of President Alejandro Giammattei (2020-present) is now the dominant power structure in Guatemala. In…
The Road to 2023: A Peek Into Guatemala’s Criminal Past
Today’s Guatemalan corrupt-criminal blocs have their origins in the country’s civil war (1960-1996). The military ruled the country during most…
Perpetuating Corruption: The System Undermining the 2023 Guatemala Elections
This is the first of a seven-chapter report that delineates the evolution of organized crime in Guatemala. The report emphasizes…
UNE’s One-Pronged Strategy
The National Unity of Hope (Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza – UNE) is one of Guatemala’s most enduring political parties…
Mexico’s Laws to Regulate Chemicals Work on Paper But Not in Practice
Since Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador took office in 2018, his morning press conferences have been a way for…
Chemists and ‘Cooks’: How Fentanyl Kills
Juan Manuel Delgado Cárdenas was months away from completing his studies in pharmaceutical chemistry and biology at the Autonomous University…
Brokers, More Than Mexico’s ‘Cartels,’ Key to Precursor Flow
Jerónimo** arrived at the restaurant wearing a rooster cap, a black T-shirt, and denim pants. A semi-automatic pistol was holstered…
How Fentanyl is Synthesized in Mexico
In 2018, US and Mexican authorities began tracking several chemists working for the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico that were trying…
Size and Scope of the Meth Industry in Mexico
Methamphetamine is the largest synthetic drug industry in the world and the most consumed stimulant in the United States, far…