At Mexico’s ‘ranch of horror’ families of the missing hope for answers
Teuchitlan, Mexico Reuters The gate, black and three metres tall, decorated with two rearing white horses, has become synonymous with death in Mexico. For dozens of families waiting outside on Thursday it also offered a tragic sense of hope in their search for missing loved ones. The families were granted access to what local media […]
Mexico’s top prosecutor denounces state probe of ‘ranch of horror’ as outrage grows
Mexico City, Mexico Reuters Mexico’s top prosecutor said on Wednesday there had been flaws in the investigation of a ranch in the western state of Jalisco, which activists have called a cartel-run “extermination camp”, and vowed to uncover the truth of what happened there. Earlier this month, a group of activists searching for missing loved […]
Europol warns of AI-driven crime threats
Reuters Organised crime gangs are turning to AI-powered scams and payment systems to target victims, allowing them to rapidly and more cheaply scale up operations globally and making them harder to detect, Europol warned on Tuesday. The technology means they can craft messages in multiple languages and create highly realistic dupes to impersonate individuals and […]
Judicial security: After a murder, cartels loom over Mexico’s new system of electing judges
CASSANDRA GARRISON, of Reuters, reports from Acapulco on the threats facing judges as a sea change in how Mexico runs its judicial system takes effect…
Mexico nabs over a ton of fentanyl in largest ever seizure
Mexico City, Mexico Reuters Mexican security forces said on Wednesday they had made the largest fentanyl seizure in the country’s history, impounding 1,100 kilograms of the synthetic opioid in the state of Sinaloa. In a statement, law enforcement said the seizure was the equivalent of 20 million fentanyl doses and would cause an economic hit […]
Pacific Island nations at risk of becoming footholds for global crime gangs, says UN
Sydney, Australia Reuters Pacific Island nations are at risk of becoming bases for global criminal gangs, a report by the United Nations drug authority said on Friday, as criminal activity surges across the isolated and economically vulnerable region. The report by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said the “threat environment” in the region […]
Mexico’s new security strategy to focus on strengthening police, intelligence
Mexico City, Mexico Reuters Mexico’s new government on Tuesday presented its plan to combat violence and crime, vowing to strengthen the National Guard police force and boost intelligence gathering in a bid to reduce murders, kidnappings and extortion. Speaking at President Claudia Sheinbaum’s morning press conference, Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch outlined a four pronged […]
On eve of Sheinbaum’s new security policy, Mexico reels from latest attacks
Mexico City, Mexico Reuters President Claudia Sheinbaum will present her strategy for confronting Mexico’s dire security situation on Tuesday amid a backdrop of high-profile violence including the brutal murder of a local mayor on Sunday that shocked the country. Sheinbaum, inaugurated as Mexico’s first woman president less than a week ago, is expected to unveil […]
Peru is “losing the battle” against organised crime, business groups say
Lima, Peru Reuters Peru’s business associations said on Friday that the country is “losing the battle” against organised crime, after an escalation in extortions forced the government to call in the military to help police bolster security in the capital Lima. The Andean nation’s government on Thursday declared a 60-day state of emergency in 12 […]
The Long Read: How fake Ozempic batch numbers help criminal groups spread dangerous drugs
PATRICK WINGOVE, of Reuters, reports on the involvement of organised crime in the distribution of fake drugs…