The Global Advisor: Spotlight on Latin America | June 2025
Brazil
Chile
Criminals express kidnap influencer and her husband in Recife (Pernambuco state) Criminals on 21 April 2025 express kidnapped an influencer and her husband from their vehicle as they drove towards their home in Recife (Pernambuco state). The kidnappers held the victims captive in a wooded area and forced them to make a large ransom payment to secure their release. The victims complied and their captors released them a few hours later.
Venezuelan and Peruvian criminals kidnap and extort two victims in Antofagasta (Antofagasta region) Venezuelan criminals on approximately 15 May 2025 kidnapped two individuals in Antofagasta (Antofagasta province). The kidnappers held the victims captive in a residence in the same city. Criminals in Peru then sent videos of the kidnappers beating and binding one of the victims to his relative. The Peruvian criminals then demanded an undisclosed sum from the victims’ families who later complied with a ransom payment. The relatives also reported this to the police who launched a rescue operation. Officers on 17 May rescued both victims from the house and arrested three perpetrators.
Control Risks comment
Control Risks has recorded periodic kidnap for ransom and express kidnaps of online influencers across the northeast of Brazil, especially in Bahia and Pernambuco, due to the presence of criminal gangs specialising in targeting these types of victims. Kidnappers often exploit the increased online exposure of these types of victims, capitalising on their public disclosure of their location and planned routines. Kidnaps of this victim type normally end within the same day, however, criminals are likely to hold victims captive for protracted periods if they identify the opportunity for larger payments.
Control Risks comment
This case is the latest in a growing series of incidents in Chile featuring gangs with ties to transnational criminal groups. Such groups mainly operate in the northern regions of Antofagasta, Coquimbo, and Tarapacá, as well as Valparaíso and the Metropolitan region in central Chile. Most incidents in Chile involve negotiations with criminals based within the country, although cases featuring similar complex communications will remain indicative of high-capability criminal groups who operate across multiple countries. Such groups are likely to be more selective when profiling their victims, often preferring wealthier individuals.
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