AR-Obs

Catatumbo’s cocaine war

...In mid-January 2025, war broke out in Catatumbo, Colombia, between dissidents of the 33rd Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia–People’s Army (FARC) and guerrilla insurgents from the...

Posted on 13 Feb 2025

Author(s): Lina María Asprilla Ríos, Andrés Aponte

Drug Policy, North America Strategic Platform on Organized Crime

Negative side effects: How fentanyl has poisoned relations between the US and Canada

...On 1 February 2025, President Trump issued an executive order ‘Imposing Duties to Address the Flow of Illicit Drugs Across Our Northern Border’. In it, he accused Canada of failing ‘to devote su...

Posted on 07 Feb 2025

Author(s): Jason Eligh, Walter Kemp

Sanctions and organized crime, CSA-Obs

Afghanistan’s unchecked arsenal under Taliban rule

...When the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021, they wrested control of a vast arsenal of weapons from the outgoing regime. Over 40 years of cumulative wars had flooded the country with arms and ammun...

Posted on 06 Feb 2025

Author(s): Paddy Ginn

Crime & Conflict, Geocriminality, EAS-Obs, WEA-Obs

After the fall: Russian influence on Africa’s illicit economies post-Wagner

After the fall

...Following the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russia has restructured its African engagements. Our report examines their strategies for rebranding, maintenance, diversification and expansion across key co...

Posted on 03 Feb 2025

Eco-Solve

Monitoring online illegal wildlife trade: Insights into ivory and plants

Monitoring online illegal wildlife trade

...ECO-SOLVE’s third Global Trend Report continues to reveal interesting trends in online illegal wildlife trade (IWT), particularly in digital marketplaces and social media platforms. Drawing on data ...

Posted on 31 Jan 2025

Crime & Conflict, Sanctions and organized crime

The war for Congo’s wealth: How organized crime fuels the M23 crisis in eastern DRC

...On 27 January 2025, the March 23 Movement (M23), an armed rebel group operating in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), announced it had captured Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu. Des...

Posted on 30 Jan 2025

Author(s): Zobel Behalal

EUR-Obs

How to make and lose a fortune smuggling migrants on the French coast

...Tackling migrant smuggling has been one of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s priorities since taking office in July 2024. The prime minister has repeatedly vowed to ‘smash the gangs’ who are usin...

Posted on 23 Jan 2025