Audio | InSight Crime

Paraguay is scrambling following the dissolution of Ueno bank and the arrest of the country’s now ex-president. In this episode of The InSight Take, Steven Dudley, co-director of InSight Crime, and Paraguay investigator Chris Newton, examine Paraguay’s criminal regime, the corrupt elites that have pillaged the government and financial sector for decades, and political Godfather behind it all.
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The Venezuelan government launched strikes against the Colombian criminal group the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional – ELN) this week. The ELN has long enjoyed refuge on the Venezuelan side of the border, and in this episode of the Insight Take, Managing Editor Deborah Bonello, our team leader in Venezuela Alejandra Betancourt, and our Co-director Jeremy McDermott ask whether this pivot from the government of Delcy Rodriguez could signal the start of a campaign against the group.

Our discussion covers how the United States has pressured the Rodriguez government to finally crack down on the guerrilla group, which for decades has enjoyed protection from the Chavista regime. But will the strikes continue?

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Costa Rican authorities carried out 80 raids this month against a local gang suspected of cargo theft. Reporter Owen Alfonso rode 520km in a semi-truck cab from the Panamanian border to Peñas Blancas, the main crossing between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. He tells InSight Crime’s Managing Editor Deborah Bonello about his reporting trip, how the cargo theft business works, and how Costa Rica’s customs systems tell gangs what each truck is carrying.

Haiti elections are currently non-existent, leaving a power vacuum that empowers criminal groups. We examine the current state of the country's governance crisis.

Steven Dudley sits down with investigator Alex Papadovassilakis to analyze the dire political and security landscape in Port-au-Prince. With the absence of elected leadership, the state has struggled to maintain authority, allowing gang control to expand significantly across the nation. We break down how the erosion of democratic institutions has facilitated this shift and what it means for regional stability.

Our discussion clarifies why the current security situation remains so volatile without a clear path to democratic transition. Understanding the nexus between political failure and organized crime is essential for grasping the current reality on the ground in Haiti.

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What do the latest Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designations of 21 criminal groups in Latin America and the Caribbean actually change for companies? Claire McCleskey, a former head of OFAC's compliance division, spoke to InSight Crime’s managing editor Deborah Bonello about that more in this week's InSight Take.