News Links written by Geoffrey Ramsey
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Friday, November 30, 2012
| Location: | Bolivia |
| Category: | Human Trafficking, Public Security |
| Title: | Cases Languish as Human Trafficking on the Rise in Bolivia |
| Author/Source: | Geoffrey Ramsey Insight Crime |
| Brief: | Despite the fact that Bolivian has seen an uptick in human trafficking in recent years, just two trafficking cases in the last six years ended in a conviction, while more than 200 cases have been reported in 2012 alone. |
Thursday, November 29, 2012
| Location: | Bolivia, Brazil |
| Category: | Defense Cooperation, Drug Policy, Narcotrafficking |
| Title: | Bolivia Targets Brazilian Prison Gang's Cocaine Trafficking Network |
| Author/Source: | Geoffrey Ramsey InSight |
| Brief: | Anti-narcotics police in Bolivia have revealed that Brazil's PCC prison gang controls cocaine trafficking routes throughout the country, and are now on the hunt for a man they claim is the PCC's chief contact in Bolivia. |
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
| Location: | Brazil |
| Category: | Gangs, Politics And Security, Public Security, Recent Violence |
| Title: | Could Sao Paulo Gang Spread Violence Across Brazil? |
| Author/Source: | Geoffrey Ramsey Insight Crime |
| Brief: | Brazilian police intelligence confirms that the PCC prison gang is expanding across the country from its Sao Paulo base, with members in two-thirds of the country's states. |
| Location: | Guatemala, Honduras |
| Category: | Border Security, Politics And Security, Relations With Neighbors |
| Title: | Guatemala to Open New Honduran Border Checkpoint |
| Author/Source: | Geoffrey Ramsey Insight Crime |
| Brief: | Perez said that the crossing would help bring customs revenue to his country, and added that he was speaking with his Honduran counterpart, President Porfirio Lobo, about the possibility of adding more border crossings. |
Monday, November 12, 2012
| Location: | El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras |
| Category: | Border Security, Politics And Security |
| Title: | Report Highlights Northern Triangle's Struggle to Secure its Porous Borders |
| Author/Source: | Geoffrey Ramsey Insight Crime |
| Brief: | A new report on border security in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras suggests that for all its ills, organized crime has brought some economic benefits to impoverished communities, who may take a hostile view of any state-led security surge. |
Friday, November 9, 2012
| Location: | Honduras |
| Category: | Gangs, Organized Crime, Politics And Security |
| Title: | Brand power in Honduras: Lesser known gangs claim affiliation to infamous 'maras' |
| Author/Source: | Geoffrey Ramsey The Christian Science Monitor |
| Brief: | Honduras warns that some criminal groups have claimed to be affiliated with feared 'mara' gangs in order to intimidate their victims. There are reports of similar 'cartel impersonators' in Mexico, too. |
Thursday, November 8, 2012
| Location: | Honduras |
| Category: | Organized Crime, Public Security |
| Title: | Organized Crime 'Impersonating Maras' to Extort in Honduras |
| Author/Source: | Geoffrey Ramsey |
| Brief: | Honduras' anti-extortion task force warned of cases of crime syndicates claiming to be affiliated with "mara" gangs in order to intimidate their victims, an indication of the fear associated with street gangs in the country. |
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
| Location: | Colombia |
| Category: | Organized Crime, Politics And Security |
| Colombia Category: | FARC, FARC Talks |
| Title: | Colombia: How peace could impact the FARC's role in illegal mining |
| Author/Source: | Geoffrey Ramsey The Christian Science Monitor |
| Brief: | Illegal mining is fast becoming a central resource for the FARC, overtaking coca production in some provinces. With the rising price of minerals there's an incentive to stay involved, even if peace is achieved. |
Thursday, October 25, 2012
| Location: | Colombia |
| Colombia Category: | FARC, Narcotrafficking |
| Title: | FARC 'Earns $2.4 to $3.5 Billion' From Drugs: Govt |
| Author/Source: | Geoffrey Ramsey Insight Crime |
| Brief: | The Colombian government's estimate that the FARC makes up to $3.5 billion annually in profts from the drug trade is staggering, but may not be entirely accurate. |
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
| Location: | Bolivia |
| Category: | Narcotrafficking, Politics And Security |
| Title: | Bolivia plans crackdown on cars-for-cocaine trade |
| Author/Source: | Geoffrey Ramsey The Christian Science Monitor |
| Brief: | The Bolivian government has vowed to crack down on the thriving trade in vehicles stolen in neighboring countries and trafficked into Bolivia. |
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
| Location: | Mexico |
| Category: | Border Security, Corruption, U.S. Policy |
| Title: | Homeland Security Report Documents Corruption in US Border Officials |
| Author/Source: | Geoffrey Ramsey In Sight |
| Brief: | Several of the most serious compromises of US national security in 2011 were committed by long-time officers. |
Friday, August 10, 2012
| Location: | Bolivia |
| Category: | Public Security |
| Title: | Bolivia May Release 5,000 Inmates to Combat Overcrowding |
| Author/Source: | Geoffrey Ramsey InSight |
| Brief: | While these measures may be relatively easy to implement, they are not permanent solutions to the problem. |
Thursday, August 9, 2012
| Location: | Colombia |
| Category: | Emerging Criminal Groups |
| Colombia Category: | Emerging Criminal Groups, Recent Violence |
| Colombia Region: | Antioquia |
| Title: | Colombia Captures Medellin Mafia Kingpin 'Sebastian' |
| Author/Source: | Geoffrey Ramsey InSight |
| Brief: | With Sebastian out of the picture and no clear successor in sight, the Urabenos may be poised to become the dominant criminal organization in the city. The epicenter of much of the conflict between the two has been Medelliin’s turbulent Comuna 8. |
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
| Location: | Venezuela |
| Category: | Corruption, Narcotrafficking |
| Title: | 'Murder of Venezuelan Diplomat in Kenya Linked to Drug Trafficking' |
| Author/Source: | Geoffrey Ramsey InSight |
| Brief: | If the Kenyan Star's allegation proves true, it could deal a major blow to the international reputation of Venezuela’s government. |
Monday, July 30, 2012
| Location: | Central America Regional, Mexico |
| Category: | Public Security |
| Title: | Did MS-13 Train Mexican Cartels in Violent Tactics? |
| Author/Source: | Geoffrey Ramsey InSight |
| Brief: | While pushing the blame for Mexican cartel violence to Central America's maras may be politically advantageous, evidence is lacking. |
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
| Location: | Nicaragua |
| Category: | Narcotrafficking |
| Title: | 'Nicaraguan Govt Actively Pursuing Crime Boss' |
| Author/Source: | Geoffrey Ramsey InSight |
| Brief: | General Aviles' remarks seem to be the latest sign that the government is beginning to crack down on drug trafficking along the Caribbean coast. |
Monday, July 2, 2012
| Location: | Mexico |
| Category: | Elections, Politics And Security, U.S. Policy |
| Title: | Recent Mexico arrests falsely linked to 'El Chapo:' Is US trying to influence elections? |
| Author/Source: | Geoffrey Ramsey The Christian Science Monitor |
| Brief: | US anti-drug officials in Mexico have been accused of pressuring captured drug suspects to claim to be relatives of the most wanted Mexican drug kingpin in order to influence upcoming presidential elections in the country. |
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
| Location: | Paraguay |
| Category: | Politics And Security, Public Security |
| Title: | After Ouster, Paraguay's New President Promises Security |
| Author/Source: | Geoffrey Ramsey InSight |
| Brief: | Paraguay's president was thrown out of office partly due to the perception that he had failed to improve security. |
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
| Location: | El Salvador |
| Category: | Public Security |
| Title: | Budget Shortfalls Hit Salvador Police Reform |
| Author/Source: | Geoffrey Ramsey InSight |
| Brief: | El Salvador's national police academy has run out of money to train recruits, meaning the force could actually get smaller this year. |
Friday, June 1, 2012
| Location: | Colombia |
| Category: | Colombia |
| Colombia Category: | FARC Hostages, Press Freedom |
| Title: | FARC Use Capture, Release of Journalist for Propaganda |
| Author/Source: | Geoffrey Ramsey InSight |
| Brief: | On the whole, the rebels got everything they could have hoped to get from the incident. |
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
| Location: | Colombia, Guatemala, Nicaragua |
| Category: | Narcotrafficking, Public Security |
| Colombia Category: | Narcotrafficking |
| Title: | Nicaragua Police Bust Crime Network Linked to Argentine Folk Singer's Death |
| Author/Source: | Geoffrey Ramsey InSight |
| Brief: | Jimenez, a Costa Rican national, was arrested in Colombia on a boat which had set off from Panama. Officials claimed he had traveled to Colombia at the behest of Mexican kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who instructed his contacts in Colombia's Rast |
Friday, May 25, 2012
| Location: | Bolivia |
| Category: | Corruption, Narcotrafficking |
| Title: | Jailed Ex-Drug Czar Accuses Bolivia of Shielding Corrupt Officials |
| Author/Source: | Geoffrey Ramsey InSight |
| Brief: | In the letter, the ex-official reportedly maintains that "the government is thwarting a comprehensive investigation into public officials involved in drug trafficking." |