Mexico
Blood avocados: Michoacán cartels co-opt ag-biz
Michoacán's blood-drenched Knights Templar cartel have amassed a land empire in the Mexican state, using the avocado industry to launder narco profits.
Tag: narco wars
Mexico
Mexican feds race vigilantes to crush cartels
Mexican federal police arrested 38 people across violence-torn Michoacán state, claiming a blow against the notorious Knights Templar drug cartel.
Mexico
Michoacán: army clashes with ‘community police’
Up to 12 were reported dead after Mexican army troops were sent in to take back Michocacán villages from the "community police" vigilante force.
Mexico
Michoacán: ‘community police’ open war on narcos
Some 100 gunmen from a "community police" force in Mexico's Michoacán state seized the town of Nueva Italia—precipiatating a shoot-out with the Knights Templar cartel.
The Andes
Colombia: cops seize ton of para cocaine
Colombia's National Police announced the seizure of 1.2 tons of cocaine allegedly belonging to paramilitary group Los Urabeños.
The Andes
Peru: mine engineer held by indigenous protesters
An engineer for the Águila Dorada mining company was detained by members of an Awajún indigenous community in Peru's northern Cajamarca region.
The Andes
FARC proposal to protect coca, cannabis growers
At the Havana peace talks with the Colombian government, the FARC rebels released a proposal to decriminalize and "regulate the production of coca, poppies and marijuana."
Southern Cone
Brazil: prison violence spills into streets —again
The prison crisis in Brazil made brief headlines after newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo released a gruesome video of gang warfare victims at the violence-plagued Pedrinhas facility.
Mexico
Mexico: nine dead in prison massacre
A "commando" of six gunmen gained access to a Mexican prison, killed four inmates in their sleep, and then tried to shoot their way out, sparking a bloody fire-fight.
Central America
Costa Rica: the next narco-state?
Unprecedented cocaine raids across Costa Rica point to the Central American country emerging as a key hub in the hemispheric narco-trade.
The Andes
Colombia: photos link Uribe to narcos, paras
Just as he has launched a new political party, photos emerge showing Colombia's ex-president Alvaro Uribe with figures linked to the "para-politics" scandal.
The Andes
Colombia: US suspends spraying after pilots downed
The US-funded glyphosate spraying in Colombia has been indefinitely suspended after presumed FARC guerillas shot down two fumigation planes—killing a US pilot.