July 11, 2023 Over the last decade, millions of Venezuelans have fled economic collapse and political turmoil, creating what is possibly the biggest migration crisis in the world. This exodus…
Category: VENEZUELA
The Tancol: Venezuela’s Phantom Enemy
By: Insight Crime June 20, 2023 In Venezuela, the government is literally fighting a ghost. In mid-2021, a mysterious new criminal actor appeared in Venezuela. It became an obsession of…
How Grenades Became a Common Part of Venezuela’s Criminal Arsenal
By: Insight Crime June 13, 2023 Grenades like those usually seen on battlefields have become common weapons in Venezuela’s underworld, where criminal groups regularly use them in a wide range…
La Pista: Venezuelans Find Refuge in Colombian Desert
June 6, 2023 Maria leans on a wooden plank outside her shelter — a collection of corrugated metal, errant bricks, and plastic tarps salvaged from the ruins of an international…
Legal Status is needed for millions of Venezuelan migrants, but who will give it?
By: Staff Writer May 30, 2023 One of the largest humanitarian crises in the Western Hemisphere outside of the crisis in Haiti is that of the mass exodus of Venezuelans…
How Scrap Metal Became a Criminal Enterprise in Venezuela
By: Insight Crime May 23, 2023 Venezuela’s nationalization of the scrap metal industry opened the doors to a state-sponsored free-for-all, with public officials, private companies, military personnel, and criminal groups…
Venezuela’s New Asset Forfeiture Law Unlikely to End Corruption
By: Insight Crime May 9, 20233 Venezuela’s National Assembly has passed an asset forfeiture law aimed at strengthening the fight against corruption. But in the hands of a corrupt state…
In Lara, Venezuela, Criminal ‘Colectivos’ Control Public Services
By: VENEZUELA INVESTIGATIVE UNIT- Insight Crime May 2, 2023 “They keep an eye on the transportation and the water. When something is damaged, they work with officials and fix it.…
Inside the Evaporating Black Market for Gasoline in Zulia, Venezuela
By: Insight Crime April 18, 2023 The black market for gasoline is quickly disappearing in Venezuela’s oil-rich state of Zulia as changing government policies and supply increases chip away at…
Venezuela Kills Gang Leader Whose Political Connections Were ‘Open Secret’
By: Insight Crime April 4, 2023 Venezuelan security forces have killed one of the country’s most-wanted criminals, “El Conejo” (The Rabbit). Despite El Conejo’s renown, his killing is more likely…
Venezuela Oil Minister Resigns Amid Political Fight With Criminal Ramifications
By: Insight Crime March 28, 2023 The resignation of Venezuela’s Oil Minister Tareck El Aissami, just days after the arrest of one of his most important allies, may be a…
Brutal but Futile: Venezuela’s Anti-Gang ‘Mega-Operations’
By: Insight Crime March 7, 2023 For three days in July 2021, the Caracas neighborhood of Cota 905 became an urban warzone. Just blocks away from Venezuela’s Miraflores presidential palace,…