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…
MS13’s Mexico Program Key to El Salvador Gang Negotiations
US authorities have made several arrests that could strike a big blow to the MS13’s Mexico Program, in a case…
Is Nayib Bukele’s ‘Iron Fist’ in El Salvador Working?
After the influential and well-sourced publication El Faro declared that El Salvador’s controversial President Nayib Bukele had “disarticulate(d)” the country’s…
Southern Mexico Extortion Suggests Migration of Central American Gangs
Reports of increasing extortion in southern Mexico suggest crackdowns on gangs in Central America may be pushing gang members to…
GameChangers 2022: El Salvador’s Gang Crackdown Has Steep Human Rights Cost
This year, the El Salvador government embarked on possibly the most ruthless gang crackdown ever seen in Central America, taking…
True Cost of El Salvador’s War on Gangs Still Being Tallied
The escalation of El Salvador’s gang crackdown in the central city of Soyapango has raised severe questions as to whether…
Honduras’ State of Exception May Set Worrying Precedent
Honduran President Xiomara Castro declared a state of exception as extortion cases reached uncontrollable levels, raising fears she may be…