Denmark shuts down cannabis street in Christiania hippie enclave
Copenhagen, Denmark Reuters Residents in Copenhagen’s famous hippie enclave Christiania began digging up its main street known for its cannabis trade on Saturday, hoping to free the area of criminal gangs following multiple deadly shootings. After tolerating the illegal sale of cannabis for more than 50 years in the former army barracks claimed by hippies […]
Colombian President proposes Latin American alliance to transform ‘war on drugs’
Bogota, Colombia Reuters Colombian President Gustavo Petro proposed on Saturday an alliance between Latin American countries to bring a unified voice to the fight against drug trafficking, by recognizing drug consumption as a public health problem instead of confronting it with what he called a “failed” militarised approach. President of Colombia Gustavo Petro and Mexico’s […]
Drug onslaught pushes violence to record levels in Costa Rica – Security Minister
San Jose, Costa RicaReuters The influence of Mexican drug gangs and increased cocaine output in Colombia have pushed murders toward record levels in Costa Rica, a top official said, casting a shadow over a country that has long been a beacon of stability in the region. Costa Rica closed 2022 with a record 656 murders. […]
Cocaine market is booming as meth trafficking spreads, UN report says
Vienna, Austria Reuters Cocaine demand and supply are booming worldwide and methamphetamine trafficking is expanding beyond established markets, including in Afghanistan where the drug is now being produced, a United Nations report said on Sunday. Coca bush cultivation and total cocaine production were at record highs in 2021, the most recent year for which data […]
South Koreans fighting drug addiction find few rehab options
Seoul, South Korea Reuters Every Saturday a group of young South Koreans gathers in Incheon just west of Seoul to talk about their battles with drug abuse, seeking sympathy and support in often emotional exchanges. The free midday therapy sessions are organised by Choi Jin-mook, who fought addiction for more than 20 years before becoming […]
Ecuador turns surfeit of seized cocaine into concrete
Quito, EcuadorReuters Huge quantities of seized drugs in Ecuador are presenting the Andean country with an unlikely new construction material: cocaine. Under President Guillermo Lasso, a conservative ex-banker, Ecuador has ramped up efforts to fight gangs who use the country as a transit point for shipping cocaine to the United States and Europe. Workers carry […]
Peru’s Boluarte vows to crush “narcoterrorism” after deadly police ambush
Lima, PeruReuters Peruvian President Dina Boluarte pledged a crackdown on “narcoterrorism” on Monday, speaking at the funeral of seven police officers gunned down in an area where drug traffickers operate in alliance with remnants of Shining Path militants. The officers were ambushed on Saturday as they traveled through the remote Andean and jungle region known […]
Thai PM orders tighter gun control, drugs crackdown after mass killing
Bangkok, Thailand Reuters Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Monday ordered law enforcement agencies to tighten gun ownership rules and crack down on drug use following a mass killing by an ex-policeman at a day care centre that left has the nation in shock. A total of 36 people including 24 children were killed in […]
In the US, disgraced pastor Ted Haggard faces new allegations
United StatesRNS Former Colorado megachurch pastor Ted Haggard, who fell from grace in 2006 after a gay sex-and-drug scandal, is now facing some of the same allegations at another church. Haggard, 66, is being accused of using methamphetamine and behaving inappropriately with young men at St James Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, a church he […]
Philippines: Drug killings leave agony, savage facet to Duterte’s legacy
JIM GOMEZ, of Associated Press, reports on the legacy of outgoing Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug crackdown…