Elyssa Pachico
Friday, September 30, 2011 - 00:00
Examples of vigilante groups abound in Mexico, but all have been short-lived, and their emergence appears to have little to do with the rising tide of drug violence
Wednesday, September 7, 2011 - 00:00
The recent arrest of the FARC's alleged "extortion mastermind" shows that the guerrillas are intent on expanding a revenue stream which will make Colombia's government very nervous: the extortion of multinational companies, with a special focus
Tuesday, August 30, 2011 - 00:00
Shop owners, bus drivers and street vendors all have to make weekly extortion payments to the many gangs in Medellin, Colombia.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011 - 00:00
In a video interview, a hitman talks calmly about killing 300 people in his career working for a Mexican cartel, offering a snapshot of just how fragmented Mexico's "drug war" has become.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011 - 00:00
The mayor of a small town in Guerrero state, Mexico was kidnapped and killed by unidentified perpetrators, the fifth mayor killed in Mexico so far this year.
Friday, August 19, 2011 - 00:00
Peru's move to suspend coca eradication efforts may last no longer than a week, but it is the first real indication that President Ollanta Humala is more than willing to make bold changes to the country's drug policy.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 - 00:00
The strategic Colombian peninsula of La Guajira, a sought after departure point for drugs heading across the Caribbean, may be up for grabs once more.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011 - 00:00
What makes Bajo Cauca especially emblematic of the new nature of Colombian drug violence is, in part, the sheer multiplicity of actors, and the fact that former paramilitaries are now working with their former guerrilla enemies.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 - 00:00
A Colombian think-tank argues that guerrilla group the FARC have retaken the initiative in key areas of the country, and that the security forces have thus far been unable to adapt.
Thursday, June 23, 2011 - 00:00
The push to negotiate with the BACRIMs comes at a time when the authorities have described them as Colombia's most serious security threat.