illegal drugs

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Notorious DC Drug Kingpin Dies in Federal Custody

Rayful Edmond was 60, died of unknown circumstances

(Newser) - Rayful Edmond, a drug kingpin once believed to control about a third of the cocaine trade in the nation's capital during the crack epidemic of the 1980s, has died in federal custody, the Bureau of Prisons confirmed Tuesday. Edmond, 60, was known at the height of his criminal empire...

'Operation RU Pharm' Nabs 7 in Rutgers Bust

7 have been arrested in what authorities say was a social media-run drug ring at New Jersey university

(Newser) - A monthslong probe into drug activity at New Jersey's Rutgers University has resulted in seven arrests, including that of a former student. Per a release from the office of Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone, the undercover sting dubbed "Operation RU Pharm" unearthed "a closed and private social...

14 Bodies Found Aboard Boat Drifting Off Dominican Republic
Mysterious Drifting Boat
Reveals 14 Skeletons
in case you missed it
Aug 11, 2024 12:50 PM CDT

Mysterious Drifting Boat Reveals 14 Skeletons

Dominican Republic authorities say bodies, packages with apparent drugs were found on board

(Newser) - Authorities this week discovered an abandoned boat floating off the Dominican Republic's northern coast, with a most gruesome discovery on board: 14 sets of mostly decomposed human remains, as well as a dozen packages of what appears to be illegal drugs. The AP reports that the vessel was spotted...

Cops Find 4 Pounds of Coke in Little Kid's Backpack

Tierra Toccara Hill, 35, arrested after raid on her home in Mobile, Alabama

(Newser) - An Alabama woman is in custody after cops found more than 4 pounds of cocaine in the backpack of a 3-year-old in her home, among other discoveries. Per KTLA , deputies with the Mobile County Sheriff's Office got a tip that 35-year-old Tierra Tocorra Hill was stashing illegal drugs in...

Boat Chase Leads to Biggest Cocaine Seizure 'of the Year'

Value of shipment seized off Colombian island estimated at $113M

(Newser) - A high-speed boat chase ended with Colombia's "largest cocaine shipment seizure of the year," per CBS News . The Colombian navy and air force worked with the US Southern Command's Joint Interagency Task Force to chase down the speedboat found to hold nearly 4 tons of cocaine,...

Judge Orders Cops to Stop Using This Stalling Tactic

Permanent injunction bars Kansas Highway Patrol from using 'Kansas Two-Step' to try to find drugs

(Newser) - The Kansas Highway Patrol must stop using a tactic known as the "Kansas Two-Step" to detain out-of-state drivers long enough to find a reason to search their vehicles for illegal drugs, a federal judge has ruled. US District Judge Kathryn H. Vratil on Monday granted a permanent injunction, which...

One Woman's Controversial Mission to Help Drug Addicts

Louise Vincent focuses on 'harm reduction' approach instead of abstinence

(Newser) - One way to help addicts off of drugs is to get them to quit cold turkey, an approach favored by many US politicians as they push for legislation and tougher prison sentences to combat the emergence of such drugs as fentanyl and xylazine (aka "tranq," or "zombie...

Oregon Considers Reversing Course on Hard Drugs

Just 2 years after Measure 110 passed, officials are taking a hard look at whether it's working

(Newser) - Oregon became the first state to decriminalize all drugs , but with overdoses and public intoxication on the rise, officials are taking a hard look at whether the new law is working. The Wall Street Journal reports that Measure 110, which had 58% support in 2020, is declining in popularity after...

Inmate's 'Relentless' Meth Operation Gets Him 27 More Years

Mexican gang member David 'Toro' Zavala is busted for running drug distribution from prison

(Newser) - A Mexican gang member already serving time in Georgia just got hit with a lot more time for distributing methamphetamine from behind bars. The Athens Banner-Herald reports that 30-year-old David "Toro" Zavala, who federal agents say is a known member of the Surenos 13 gang, received his additional prison...

Singapore Set to Hit a Grim Milestone on Friday
Singapore Executes
First Woman Since 2004
UPDATED
Jul 28, 2023 4:26 AM CDT

Singapore Executes First Woman Since 2004

Saridewi Djamani was convicted of trafficking just over an ounce of heroin

(Newser) - Singapore executed a woman Friday for the first time since 2004. Saridewi Djamani, 45, was convicted five years ago of trafficking just over an ounce of heroin, though she testified that she had been stocking up for personal use, the BBC reports. The hanging was the 15th drug-related execution in...

Those Weren't Bottles of Water That Arrived in Hong Kong

City makes biggest-ever meth bust, seizing $140M worth of liquid meth labeled as 'coconut water'

(Newser) - Hong Kong customs seized 2 tons of liquid methamphetamine in the city's biggest-ever meth bust, authorities said Saturday. The drugs, which were seized Oct. 23, had been concealed in bottles labeled as coconut water in a cargo shipment that arrived in Hong Kong by sea, according to a government...

'Narco-Submarine' Seized in Spain
'Narco-Submarine'
Seized in Spain
Mar 13, 2021 9:40 AM CST

'Narco-Submarine' Seized in Spain

It was capable of carrying 2 tons of cargo

(Newser) - Spanish police announced Friday that they seized a homemade narco-submarine able to carry more than 2 tons of cargo. Police came across the 30-foot-long craft last month while it was being built in Málaga, on southern Spain’s Costa del Sol, during a broader international drug operation involving five...

Chicago Cops Say Facebook Is 'Harboring Criminals'

More than 50 arrested after investigation

(Newser) - Private Facebook groups have "emboldened" sellers of illegal drugs and guns to connect with potential buyers over the social media site, Chicago police said Tuesday, as leaders announced that a two-year undercover investigation led to more than 50 arrests. Police leaders, including former LAPD chief Charlie Beck, who's...

Troopers Searched the Fish Box. There Wasn't Fish Inside

Cenen Placencia accused of trying to smuggle $400K of drugs in spoiled goat intestines

(Newser) - An Alaska man found with $400,000 in illegal drugs hidden in spoiled goat intestines at an airport has been arrested. Per the AP , Cenen Placencia of Kodiak was arrested Wednesday at Anchorage’s international airport, authorities said. Investigators with Alaska State Troopers searched a large fish box the 71-year-old...

44 Pounds of Meth Delivered to 'Quite Elderly' Couple

They received package in error

(Newser) - An elderly couple in Australia who received a large quantity of methamphetamine in error decided to contact police instead of going the Walter White route. Police say the couple mistakenly signed for a parcel sent to their west Melbourne home that turned out to contain around 44 pounds of the...

Gang Puts Big Bounty on Head of a Dog

Drug-sniffing Sombra has been relocated in Colombia because Urabeños clan is after her

(Newser) - A drug-sniffing Colombian police dog with nearly 250 arrests under her collar recently tracked down more than 10 tons of coke from a major drug gang. The gang's reaction: a bounty on the pooch's head that may be up to $70,000. The Telegraph reports that Sombra (Spanish...

'China's Walter White' Tried to Solve Australia's Drug Dearth

$600K-per-month make-and-export business was going well until he got busted

(Newser) - A 46-year-old chemistry professor identified only as Zhang, but who Time notes has been called "China's Walter White" in reference to the lead character of AMC's Breaking Bad, was convicted Tuesday of whipping up and selling 32 kilos of drugs—though prosecutors think the amount produced was...

Cocaine Makes Your Brain Eat Brains
 Cocaine Makes Your 
 Brain Eat Brains 
NEW STUDY
Jan 19, 2016 5:51 AM CST

Cocaine Makes Your Brain Eat Brains

Researchers autopsied brain cells killed by drug

(Newser) - Much like rampaging zombies, brain cells on cocaine can't stop eating brains, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Scientists already knew that the drug killed brain cells, but "autopsies" on the dead brain cells of mice given '70s-rock-star levels of cocaine revealed that...

One County Illustrates Just How Bad Heroin Epidemic Is

In one recent 70-minute span, 8 overdoses were reported

(Newser) - The Washington Post takes a look at the country's surging heroin epidemic by zeroing in on Pennsylvania’s Washington County, a place one local detective refers to as "ground zero" for heroin in the area. Last Sunday, in less than 70 minutes, eight heroin overdoses were recorded in...

Jersey Shore's New Problem: Heroin Overdoses

Fatal overdoses more than doubled last year in Ocean County, NJ

(Newser) - It's been a rough week for New Jersey , and an NBC News investigation only adds to the state's woes: It found that fatal heroin and prescription drug overdoses at the Jersey Shore more than doubled last year, with 112 deaths in Ocean County compared to 2012's 53...

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