Organized crime is a persistent and evolving challenge in Latin America. At the moment crime syndicates are seeing unprecedented financial gains, fueled not only by a surge in cocaine production—more than doubling in the past decade, according to the UN—but also by profits from illegal gold mining and human trafficking. As security concerns rise, these issues are set to play a crucial role in elections in Ecuador, Honduras, Chile, and Colombia. Meanwhile, the U.S. government, under President Donald Trump, has been pressuring Mexico to curb drug and migrant trafficking, going so far as to impose tariffs on its neighbor. In this episode, we look at how organized crime is shifting in Latin America in 2025. Our guest, Jeremy McDermott, co-founder of InSight Crime.
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Guests:
Jeremy McDermott is co-director and co-founder of InSight Crime
Host:
Brian Winter is the editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly
If you would like to know more:
Latin American Organized Crime’s Real Target: Local Government by Will Freeman
Ecuador Needs a Different Approach to Fighting Organized Crime by Juanita Goebertus
Is There a Real-World Alternative to Bukele on Crime? by Tamara Taraciuk Broner
AQ Podcast | The Shifting Sands of Organized Crime in Latin America
AQ Podcast: How Organized Crime Is Changing In Latin America
