In a year marked by political and criminal turmoil, Latin American capitals did not escape the effects of the corruption, organized crime and state repression experienced throughout the region.
From the violent clashes between security forces and protests in Nicaragua and Chile, to the splintering of criminal groups in the capitals of Mexico and Colombia, capital cities in the region ranked among the most violent in the world.
In this special report, InSight Crime analyzes the homicide rate of each of Latin America’s capital cities, identifying the factors leading to these rates of violence.
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*Correction:A previous version of this article incorrectly reported that Panama City’s homicide rate was 44 per 100, 000 people. This wrong calculation was based on a misunderstanding between figures for Panama City and the larger District of Panama. Our coverage of organized crime relies on thorough checking of facts and figures, especially when making such regional comparisons. Sometimes, we fall short. We regret the error.
In the midst of the economic, political and social crisis faced by Venezuelans, Caracas has become the most violent capital city in Latin America.
In 2019, the homicide rate reached 76 for every 100, 000 inhabitants, according to the Venezuelan Violence Observatory (Observatorio Venezolano de Violencia – OVV) .
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While this statistic represents a drop in violent deaths in comparison with 2018, when, according to the OVV, the homicide rate reached 100 for every 100, 000 inhabitants , the situation continues to be critical and Caracas continues to be among the five most violent states in Venezuela, following Miranda, Bolívar and Aragua.
As in the rest of the country, these violence rates are the result of homicides carried out by common and organized criminal actors, as well as killings committed by state security forces, including the Special Action Forces (Fuerzas de Acciones Especiales – FAES) .
In comparison with 2018, in which 144 homicides were committed, the Puerto Rican capital experienced a significant spike in murders in 2019, wrapping up the year with 172 violent deaths . San Juan is now ranked as the second deadliest city on this list with 53.5 homicides for every 100, 000 inhabitants.
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According to declarations made by San Juan’s MayorCarmen Yulín Cruz , the homicide rate has grown in several parts of the island due to common delinquency, gender-based violence and drug trafficking.
Given that authorities’ attention has been focused on responding to the natural emergencies that Puerto Rico has faced over the last two years, the island has become vulnerable to exploitation by gangs and transnational criminal organizations, which are using the island more and more as a stopover point for drug shipments.
While the national decline in violent deaths Guatemala has seen in recent years continued in Guatemala City, the capital’shomicide rate for 2018 of 42.5 homicides per 100, 000 residentsremained well above the national averageof 23.6.
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Extortion continues to be one of the mainsources of violence in Guatemala’s capital. The gangs MS13 and Barrio 18 control large areaswithin Guatemala City, where they demand payments from shopkeepers , large businesses, drivers for public transport services and garbage collectors, among others.
As observed by InSight Crime during a major investigation released in 2019, these gangs have annual earnings of around three or four million dollars from extortion alone.
This steady flow of income has provided the gangs with the capital to invest in other tools necessary for their activities: weapons, wholesale drug purchases and criminal infrastructure.
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The situation of violence is accentuated in the capital due to the availability of weapons in the country. In Guatemala, handguns are used for around75 percent of killings, according to data from Guatemala’s National Forensic Science Institute (Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Forenses de Guatemala – INACIF ).
Tegucigalpa experienced a smalldecline in homicides in 2019. The number of violent deaths went from 542 in 2018 to 516 in 2019, a rate of 41 homicides for every 100, 000 inhabitants.
The national government has attributed this decline to its security strategy which, between 2012 and 2017, focused on combating large criminal structures , dismantling powerful organizations like the Valles Cartel, purging the national police of corrupt officials and modernizing its penitentiary system.
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Nevertheless, Tegucigalpa continues to be dominated by gangs like MS13 and Barrio 18, that use urban areas as recruitment and operational centers. In fact, the government’s policies seem to have eliminated the competition between the gangs, allowing them to consolidate their power, implementing policies to reduce violence in recent years.
The homicide rate in San Salvador has declined for another consecutive year with 35.3 violent deaths for every 100, 000 inhabitants in 2019, according to the Northern Triangle Violence Observatory ( Observatorio de Violencia del Triángulo Norte.)
In 2015, the homicide rate stood at around 108.5 for every 100, 000 but it has rapidly declined as the result of a detente between El Salvador’s main gangs .
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Between 2015 and 2018 the homicide rate fell by 53 percent, with El Salvador’s government taking credit, touting the implementation of new security measures under theTerritorial Control Plan .
However, evidence suggests that the decline should be attributed more to a concerted effort by MS13 and Barrio 18 to reduce homicide rates and follow a protectionist policy: “to not [let] anyone mess with civilians .” In fact, investigators argue that MS13can increase and decrease the homicide rate at its will, a tactic used for negotiating with the Salvadoran government.
The gangs, or maras, have a particularly strong influence in San Salvador, dividing the neighborhoods in the capital city among them and controlling the streets through informal points of criminal control .
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With close to 92 murders in 2019, the homicide rate reached 24.5 cases for every 100, 000 residents, making this one of the most violent years for Port of Spain. The number of homicides registered during the first half of the year represented 82 percent of the total number of murders registered in 2018.
The deteriorating security situation in Trinidad and Tobago has occurred amidst a struggle within the island nation to combat organized crime, fueled by drug trafficking in the Caribbean and exacerbated by the situation in nearby Venezuela.
In the past, local gangs had been identified as responsible for the outbreaks of violence on the island. However, the arrest of Evander, the leader of a Venezuelan megabandain May 2019, showed that Venezuelan criminal groups have infiltrated the island nation.
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Trinidad and Tobago’s strategic location as a transit point for the rest of the Caribbean and markets like the United States and Europe, is the main reason for the arrival of these transnational drug trafficking networks to the island.
With 219 registered homicides in 2019, the District of Panama, which covers Panama City and its metropolitan area, experienced a 24 percent increase in violent deaths in comparison with 2018’s 176 registered cases . This increase leaves the District of Panama with a murder rate of 18.5 homicides for every 100, 000 inhabitants, according to statistics published by the Attorney General’s Office .
According to Rolando Mirones, Panama’s security minister, the majority of the country’s murders were the result an increase in clashes between gangs.
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According to the country’s senior prosecutor for crimes of unlawful association, Nathaniel Murgas , police reports established that some 160 gangs operate in the country, with at least 60 operating in Panama City.
Given this context, the decision by Panamanian authorities to lift the restriction on arms imports into the country has drawn attention. The restriction on the import of weapons was in effect for almost a decade and its lifting could drive up violence at a time in which the homicide rate is already on the rise.
According to the Executive Secretariat of the National System of Public Security (Secretariado Ejecutivo del Sistema Nacional de Seguridad Pública – SESNSP), from January to December, 1, 557 violent deaths were registered in Mexico City. This equates to an average of 4.3 people killed every day.
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The criminal dynamics faced by the Mexican capital this year was marked by the fragmentation of organized criminal groups and the inability of the government to confront them, along with rampant corruption and collusion within the country’s security forces.
While traditionally authorities in Mexico City have denied the presence of large organized criminal groups, evidence shows that several local structures operating in the city are linked to organizations with a presence in other states.
Over the last few years, La Unión Tepito and the Tláhuac Cartel have been the capital’s main criminal actors. Both groups have suffered strong blows after much of their leadership have beenarrested or killed but their operations do not appear to have been diminished.
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Andvigilante self-defense groups are now emerging to respond to the criminal threat. Mexico City authorities are investigating a group known as the Fuerza Anti Unión, whose members, tired of extortions, kidnappings and murders at the hands of La Unión Tepito, decided to take justice into their own hands.
Likewise, capital city authorities are investigating at least 120 police officers accused of colluding with this illegal group, providing protection for its members in exchange for payments ranging between 18, 000 and 20, 000 pesos ($919-$1, 020) per month.
With approximately 194 violent deaths and a homicide rate of 14.7 for every
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