Gangs

Ecuador's police are confronting a significant rise in drug crime, battling gangs, gun violence, and corruption. The BBC accompanied officers on patrol to highlight these challenges.

The US has dismissed Brazil's warning that labeling two gangs as terror could lead to military action as 'absurd', escalating a diplomatic tension. The standoff centers on Brazil's concern that a US terror designation might provoke military force.

Latin America has shifted toward right-wing and security-focused governments aligned with U.S. strategic interests, driven by regional instability, economic pressures, and U.S. policies like sanctions and military leverage. The Trump administration's actions in Cuba, Iran, and Bolivia are cited as catalysts, with voters prioritizing security over traditional political ideologies.

Federal authorities dismantled a gun trafficking ring that transported firearms from Georgia to Chicago gangs. Prosecutors allege one defendant purchased at least 22 firearms over 10 months, some of which were converted to fully automatic weapons.

South Africa faces renewed anti-immigrant violence, including marches, murders of Mozambicans, and state-sponsored evacuations. The situation threatens the country's tourism, trade, and constitutional democracy, with the state's alleged complicity in violence against immigrants.

Ecuador’s president adopted El Salvador’s hard-line strategy against gangs, including deploying the army and building mega-jails, but the approach has failed with rising killings and prison massacres. The article attributes the failure to Ecuador’s gangs being drug-trafficking networks, unlike El Salvador’s gang structure.

Police are investigating gangs that recruit students into the drug trade. School Protection Groups (SPGs) in over 250 schools will assist law enforcement by gathering information, enhancing surveillance, and identifying at-risk students.

A report reveals that inmates in England and Wales face overcrowded, unsanitary prison conditions with vermin presence and gang control over entire wings. The independent monitoring board warns these failures risk becoming normalized.

Mexico is grappling with a surge in extortion, including kidnappings and threats, as corrupt police and gangs extort shopkeepers through 'protection fees'. The president has pledged to address the crime affecting all levels of society.

An article by Francis Foster examines escalating violence in primary schools, including gang activity and teacher injuries. The piece attributes the problems to 'inclusion' policies and parenting failures, suggesting school leaders are reluctant to take action.

Gunmen kidnapped 23 children from a Nigerian orphanage, highlighting the prevalence of mass kidnappings in Nigeria as a means for gangs and armed groups to generate quick money.

The article exposes a scandal where state-funded slum conversions in Victorian houses are creating squalid living conditions for ex-prisoners, addicts, and refugees, while landlords and gangs exploit the system to siphon taxpayer money. The report highlights systemic failures and corruption in housing policies.

The article describes escalating violence in Port-au-Prince's gang-controlled areas, where civilians face extreme danger and struggle to survive amid ongoing gunfights. Gang activity in Haiti's capital has created a climate of fear and instability for ordinary residents.