Audio | InSight Crime

The designation of two of Brazil's biggest criminal groups, the PCC and the Red Command, as foreign terrorist organizations by the United States promises to impact businesses, financial institutions, and the economy more widely, as much as the gangs themselves.
In today's InSight Take, Managing Editor Deborah Bonello and co-director Steven Dudley take a deep dive into both of these criminal groups, their role on the criminal landscape in Brazil and the region, and how these designations might reshape the fight against the PCC and the Red Command going forward. Check out our transcript here: https://bit.ly/4uaVHTH

Durante años, el gobierno venezolano ha mantenido una relación simbiótica con ciertos grupos criminales del país, colaborando con ellos para mantenerse en el poder y beneficiarse de actividades ilícitas. Pero a medida que Estados Unidos ha intensificado sus acciones contra el crimen en América Latina bajo la presidencia de Donald Trump, el gobierno venezolano se ha encontrado entre la espada y la pared.
Venezuela asegura que combate el crimen organizado: ¿realmente lo hace? | Escrito por la Unidad Investigativa de Venezuela y leído por Daniel Reyes.
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For years, the Venezuelan government has had a symbiotic relationship with certain criminal groups in the country, working together to maintain power and profit from illicit activities. But as the United States has taken increasingly aggressive anti-crime action in Latin America under President Donald Trump, the Venezuelan government has found itself between a rock and a hard place.
Venezuela Says It is Fighting Organized Crime. Is It? | Written by the Venezuela Investigative Unit and read by Liza Schmidt.
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La violencia de las pandillas y el crimen han aumentado a niveles sin precedentes en Ecuador en los últimos años. Grupos como Los Lobos, Los Choneros y Los Tiguerones luchan por alianzas con grupos internacionales de narcotráfico y por el control de territorios estratégicos. En las zonas que controlan, estos grupos imponen su poder mediante la violencia, amenazando y extorsionando a los residentes.
En respuesta, el presidente Daniel Noboa ha adoptado una postura de mano dura contra los grupos criminales del país, declarando estados de emergencia, desplegando tropas para combatir a las pandillas y buscando apoyo internacional para reforzar su lucha. Y el gobierno afirma que sus esfuerzos han tenido éxito. ¿Pero lo han logrado?
Ecuador asegura que la extorsión está disminuyendo. La realidad es más compleja | Escrito por Gavin Voss y Steve Dudley, y leído por Daniel Reyes.
Visite insightcrime.org para más información.

Gang violence and crime has surged to unprecedented levels in Ecuador in recent years. Groups like the Lobos, the Choneros, and the Tiguerones fight for alliances with international drug trafficking groups and control over strategic territories. In the areas they control, these groups reign through violence, threatening and extorting residents.
In response, President Daniel Noboa has taken a hard line against the country’s criminal groups, declaring states of emergency, deploying troops to fight gangs, [and] seeking international support to bolster his fight. And the government says its efforts have been successful. But have they?
Ecuador Says Extortion Is Down. The Reality Is More Complicated. | Written by Gavin Voss and Steven Dudley, and read by Stella Horrell.
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