Manila had argued it was conducting its own investigation into deaths under the controversial policy. The International Criminal Court has said it will reopen its investigation into possible “crimes against humanity” in the Philippines over former president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war, which led to the deaths of thousands of people. The Hague-based court announced plans … Read more
Opium poppy cultivation has emerged in Myanmar since the military seized power in 2021, reversing a steady decline that was seen in the illicit crop between 2014 and 2020, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has said. Myanmar saw a 33 percent increase in opium poppy cultivation and an 88 percent increase … Read more
Dairo Antonio Usuga David, known as ‘Otoniel’, was leader of the Gulf Clan, one of Colombia’s largest paramilitary groups. A former Colombian drug trafficker has admitted to overseeing a vast network of criminal operations and cocaine smuggling, including a violent paramilitary group known as the Clan del Golfo or the Gulf Clan cartel. Dairo Antonio … Read more
Bogota, Colombia — After promising to radically change Colombian drug policy, the administration of President Gustavo Petro has announced plans this month to reduce forced eradication efforts that, for decades, have remained one of the country’s chief strategies to curb coca, the raw ingredient in cocaine. Illegal coca farming is big business in Colombia. The … Read more
Large hauls of crystal meth were smuggled inside tea and coffee packages and hidden in secret compartments of vehicles. Police in Thailand have seized more than one tonne of crystal methamphetamine in less than a week amid a surge in narcotics trafficking since the country’s borders reopened after COVID-19 lockdowns. The haul was uncovered in … Read more
Ten soldiers are among those killed during arrest of drug kingpin’s son, which sparks violence by cartel, government says. At least 29 people, including 10 soldiers, have been killed in an operation to arrest the son of jailed Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, Mexico’s government says after a shootout with cartel members. Ovidio … Read more
A leftist rebel group in Colombia, the National Liberation Army (ELN), says it is not part of a ceasefire with the government that had been announced by the president. On New Year’s Eve, President Gustavo Petro made a bold pronouncement on Twitter: Five of the country’s illegal armed groups had agreed to a six-month ceasefire. … Read more
As United States President Joe Biden spends the final days of 2022 on vacation in the US Virgin Islands, the White House has issued five full pardons to individuals involved in drug- and alcohol-related crimes, as well as a sixth for a case of murder . That case, involving a defendant named Beverly Ann Ibn-Tamas, … Read more
https://sputniknews.com/20221227/fentanyl-hybrids-proxies-could-make-2023-even-deadlier-in-americas-opioids-crisis-ex-dea-official-1105830633.html Fentanyl Hybrids, Proxies Could Make 2023 Even Deadlier in America’s Opioids Crisis: Ex-DEA Official Fentanyl Hybrids, Proxies Could Make 2023 Even Deadlier in America’s Opioids Crisis: Ex-DEA Official Three quarters of all drug overdose deaths in the US since 2020 have involved an opioid, with fatalities involving the drug topping 108,000 in 2021. The … Read more
Buenaventura, Colombia – In the month following Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s August inauguration, the leaders of two rival gangs in the port city of Buenaventura were meeting to discuss the prospect of peace. On the streets, a war was being waged. Clashes between the two gangs, the Shottas and the Espartanos, often left dozens dead … Read more