The FARC has become increasingly involved in the illegal drug trade. They have been involved in either the processing or the exporting of cocaine. In Colombia, one person was murdered every 15 minutes in the first three months of 1995. Mexico City is averaging about 543 crimes per day. Elsewhere in Mexico, armed gangs of rival drug smugglers have been fighting it out with one another, thus creating new hazards in rural areas.
Crime is extremely high in all of the major cities in Brazil.
Wealthy citizens have had to provide for their own security. In large parts of Rio de Janeiro, armed criminal gangs are said to be in control. The city of Sao Paulo is also very dangerous. A recent ERRI World Sitrep report indicated that violent crime is prevalent in and around Guatemala City. Public buses have become a favorite target of well-armed gangs in the area.