'Narco Jungle': My trek across the dangerous Darien Gap
Graphic content warning
My first security briefing was harsh. The advice: Sleep with one eye open. Don’t trust anyone. Walk fast. And this: You can’t protect yourself from rape, so take condoms.
And so, when a group of women, deep in the jungle, told me they had just been robbed, humiliated and sexually violated by an armed gang, I was horrified, but not surprised.
For six days our crew documented an unfolding migrant crisis through the Darien Gap, an untamed stretch of jungle that connects Colombia to Panama.
- In search for freedom, Chinese migrants increasingly risk it all by braving the Darien Gap
- From the point of view of W5's Director of Photography Jerry Vienneau
(CTV W5)
In a one-week period, more than 100 women reported being sexually assaulted on the journey.
This is the route we took.
Route through the Darien Gap (CTV W5)
Long used as a cartel pipeline for smuggling cocaine and weapons, the 100 kilometres of jungle has become a highway of human misery.
In 2023, a staggering 520,000 migrants completed the trek through to Panama in their search for a better life in the U.S. or Canada. An even greater number is expected this year. Most are from Venezuela, Ecuador, and Haiti but increasingly they are coming from China.
No one on the Colombian side is keeping track of how many enter the jungle, so there’s no record of how many die trying to cross the Darien Gap.
Three separate times we came across the bodies of those who didn’t survive.
Three separate times, the W5 crew came across the bodies of those who didn’t survive the trek through the Darien Gap (CTV W5)
The Colombian side of the jungle is controlled by the Gulf Clan Cartel. In an interview before the trek, one of the cartel leaders in charge of the lucrative migrant business told me the rules are very strict.
Human smugglers, who call themselves guides, charge the migrants hundreds and even thousands of dollars for safe passage and give the cartel a cut of their earnings.
It’s an industry worth hundreds of millions of dollars every year in Colombia. But the bulk of the trek is on the Panamanian side of the border, where there are no guides/traffickers and where armed groups of local criminals prey on migrants.
Our team includes director of photography Jerry Vienneau, producer Eric Szeto, producer/translator Maria Teresa Scotti, and former British soldier/paramedic Adam Creighton.
From left: W5 directory of photography Jerry Viennau, producer Eric Szeto and producer/translator Teresa Scotti (CTV W5)
We trekked for up to 10 hours every day through swamps, across rivers, over boulders and along rock cliffs. At night we slept in hammocks.
This is about halfway through the trek, gearing up for another harrowing day:
By our last night, most migrants had run out of food and didn’t have access to clean drinking water.
This is my final video diary (where you can faintly hear the snores of Jerry Vienneau, whose hammock was hanging right next to mine):
Watch W5’s 'Narco Jungle: The Darien Gap' in our video player at the top of this article
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Board orders deportation for trucker in horrific Humboldt Broncos crash
The truck driver who caused the horrific bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team has been ordered to be deported.
Italian teenage computer wizard set to become the first saint of the millennial generation
Pope Francis paved the way for the canonization of the first saint of the millennial generation on Thursday, attributing a second miracle to a 15-year-old Italian computer whiz who died of leukemia in 2006.
Milk sold in Canadian grocery stores tested for avian influenza; results released
As avian flu spreads south of the border, Canadian officials are now testing samples of milk sold in grocery stores across the country.
Morgan Spurlock, Oscar-nominated director of 'Super Size Me,' dies at 53
Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, an Oscar-nominee who made food and American diets his life's work, famously eating only at McDonald's for a month to illustrate the dangers of a fast-food diet, has died. He was 53.
'A really bad car crash': Why health experts are raising concerns over surging syphilis cases
A sexually transmitted infection (STI) that was once thought to be a thing of the past is now a public health priority for North American doctors.
Top Russian military officials are being arrested. Why is it happening?
It began last month with the arrest of a Russian deputy defense minister. Then the head of the ministry’s personnel directorate was hauled into court. This week, two more senior military officials were detained. All face charges of corruption, which they have denied.
Leaving time on the table: Surveys show unused paid vacation, 'quiet vacationing'
'Quiet vacationing' is the latest new term to describe the rough edges of office culture, and survey data shows it's widespread among North American workers.
Independent Toronto MP Kevin Vuong asks Poilievre to let him join Conservative caucus
Independent Toronto MP Kevin Vuong says he is asking Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to let him join the Tory caucus, and intends to seek a nomination for the party in a Greater Toronto Area riding.
Toddler dies after being struck by recycling truck in Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood
A toddler has died after being struck by a recycling truck in a Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood on Thursday afternoon.
Local Spotlight
'Near and dear to all filmmakers': Return of Regina's discount theatre bodes well for fans, movie makers alike
The proprietors of Regina's sole discount theatre are aware they're carrying on a significant legacy.
'Best experience ever': B.C. baker on making it to the finals of Netflix's 'Is it Cake?'
When Jujhar Mann said he wanted to be a pastry chef on a grade school career project, he didn't imagine that pursuing his dream would land him on a popular Netflix baking competition.
Winnipeg flair on the menu at neighbourhood Houston restaurant
A city known for its history, ties to outer space and southern barbecue, is also home to a Winnipeg chef dishing out dozens of perogies.
Montreal photographer captures dramatic Canada goose vs. fox fight on video
A Montreal photographer captured the moment a Canada goose defended itself from a fox at the Botanical Garden.
Beyond books: Halifax libraries lends instruments, sports equipment, memory kits and more
Public libraries in Atlantic Canada are now lending a broader range of items.
'A special bird': The unbreakable bond between purple martins and humans
Flashes of purple darting across the sky mixed with the serenading sound of songs will be noticed more with spring in full force in Manitoba.
7-year-old Pokémon prodigy heading to Hawaii for world championship tournament
Catching 'em all with impressive speed, a 7-year-old boy from Windsor, Ont. who only started his competitive Pokémon journey seven months ago has already levelled up to compete at a world championship level.
VIDEO Born without front legs, this dog has been inspiring the world for 3 years: Dresden farm owner
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
From DVDs to rehearsals: Halifax theatre company transforms Video Difference building into arts hub
2b Theatre recently moved into the old Video Difference building, seeking to transform it into an artistic hub, meeting space, and temporary housing unit for visiting performers in Halifax.