At the end of the 17th century, the Pirates of the Caribbean chased the galleons loaded with gold and silver to Europe. Today, things have changed – but not as much as it seems. The fast boats slip at night, men climb machetes in hand, and terrified crews remain silent. The treasure chests have disappeared, replaced by fuel, engines or food. But the underlying story remains the same: hacking flourishes in the middle of the economic crisis and the absence of the state along large expanses of coast.
During the first half of 2025, maritime hack increased by more than 50% worldwide compared to the same period in 2024, according to The last report from the Maritime International Bureau (IMB). This is the largest increase recorded since 2020.
See also: Guns in the Gulf: Mexico Navy called to protect against pirates
According to researcher Brandon Prins of the University of Tennessee – Knoxville, hacking in Latin America represents between 10% and 15% of incidents worldwide – much less than in regions such as West Africa or Southeast Asia. However, the region has experienced major points over the past decade.
These increases, said Prin, coincides with moments of crisis, pointing to the Venezuelan economic crisis and cocoards as examples when hacking has increased. “Economic conditions push people to crime on earth, and they lead people to crime at sea,” he said.
The attacks are concentrated in critical areas such as the Gulf of Mexico, the Venezuelan and Colombian Caribbean and the Pacific coast between Ecuador and Peru. Isolated incidents have also been reported in Suriname, Guyana, Brazil and in interior sailors such as Amazon and Orinoco rivers.
However, this criminal dynamic is strongly underdeveloped. Many victims never file the complaints for fear that their work will be suspended during an investigation, that their insurance premiums will increase, or – in some cases – because they are themselves involved in illegal activities, from the navigation of the routes declared to the transport of illicit or unregistered goods.
There is also a technical detail: most attacks occur in territorial waters – the maritime zone which extends to 12 naval miles from the coast of a country and remains under its sovereignty. The authorities therefore classify them as an “armed robbery” rather than a hacking. “Armed robbery on ships and piracy are really the same activities,” said Prins. “It is just called armed robbery because it occurs within 12 nabin miles.”
Cyrus Mush, director of commercial crime services at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), has agreed that difference is only a technicality. “If you tell a coastal state like Venezuela that you have a hacking in your waters, they will turn around and say:” We have no piracy “- and they are absolutely correct, because by definition, hacking occurs outside of territorial waters. But the incident is the same.”
Between the lack of complaints and the official classification, the measurement of the hacking scale in Latin America is almost impossible.
Between survival and organized crime
Piracy in Latin America is not dominated by large organized fleets but by small dispersed groups. Most hackers are residents of marginalized coastal regions with little presence of the state and few economic opportunities that turn to the sea as a means of survival in times of crisis. Maritime knowledge is essential – fishermen or former sailors often fill their ranks.
Although most pirates operate independently, it has become more and more common for some to claim allegiance to large organizations. This was the case in July in the Gulf of Guayaquil, when a group of attackers has identified as members of the Ecuadorian gang Lobos.
See also: Ecuador fishermen face the death or despair of the truancy attacks of pirates
In Colombia, the GaiTanist self -defense forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Gaitanistas de Colombia – AGC) have led river attacks along the Magdalena river, boarding boats and the collection of a “war tax” in exchange for letting them pass.
Elsewhere, the link with organized crime is more indirect. In Mexico, for example, pirates who attack oil platforms maintain links with drug cartels; In Venezuela Caribbean waters, they are linked to terrestrial criminal gangs. Ports – like Callao, Macapá and Guayaquil – have become sites where collaboration with local smuggling networks is the most apparent.
Institutional corruption also plays a role. “Where corruption is higher in countries, there is more hacking,” said Prins, adding: “There is probably a certain collusion between local port officials or even the application of the law and the groups of pirates.”
Fast strikes, small gains
Unlike East Africa or Southeast Asia, hacking in Latin America is based on fast strikes launched from small boats that intercept ships near the coast or even in the port. The attackers generally carry machetes, knives or sticks – and, to a lesser extent, firearms. Their violence is largely instrumental rather than fatal: they aim to intimidate the crews in the submission and to avoid murders.
The targets also vary: oil tankers, cargo cargo and in particular yachts and recreational vessels, which are more frequent in Latin America than elsewhere. In The Gulf of MexicoEven oil platforms have become regular targets. The booty, however, is generally modest – fuel, motors, provisions or fish – distinguish it from the other regions where the abductions for the ransom are common. In Latin America, success depends on speed.
From illegal drug trafficking: criminal cross cross at sea
The direct links between hacking and other illicit economies are not always clear, but their territories overlap – drug trafficking, human smuggling, fuel flight and illegal fishing often Share the same routes.
In Mexico, the Sinaloa cartel, the Jalisco Cartel New Generation (Cartel of Jalisco Nueva Generación – Cjng), and the Gulf cartel extended part of their operations to the sea. They extort the fishing communities to collect information on the routes and use these networks to move goods. The so-called “law of silence” governs the coasts.
See also: The sugar coast – the most dangerous place in Venezuela for hacking
In Venezuela, a similar scheme has emerged on Lake ValenceWhere the hackers extort the fishermen, demanding part of their daily benefit in exchange for “protection”.
The clearest link is illegal fishing: some fishermen, pushed to ruin by the collapse of their profession, turn to hacking; Others already operating outside the law find that the attack on boats is simply a more profitable means of surviving.
