Tracking Cartels: Exploiting Open Sources to Identify Trends

This research brief explains the efforts of researchers from three Department of Homeland Security Centers of Excellence who are working together to provide the U.S. Government with new open source tools that combat transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and drug cartels in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, while protecting confidential sources and increasing international and domestic information sharing. This brief also describes the innovative Gazetteer Search Tool the team is developing for the project and details some initial findings about the more than 3,500 violent deaths in Guatemala.