All news on the topic: Drugs

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How ‘Britain’s biggest drug smuggler’ built a £100m empire before it collapsed
Notorious gangster Andrew Pritchard once ran a sprawling international criminal network built on fake passports and bribed officials.
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Influencer María Julissa with 3.5 million followers denies role in tip-off that led Mexican forces to kill cartel kingpin El Mencho
An OnlyFans model has denied being the secret mistress who led authorities to a love nest where a notorious Mexican cartel leader was killed.
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After Maduro’s capture, Dutch government pulls back from U.S. drug war at sea
In response to the American military’s attacks on boats suspected of smuggling narcotics, the Netherlands is stopping joint anti-drug operations with the U.S. outside its own Caribbean territorial waters, the Dutch defense minister told reporters this week.
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Syria cracks down on Captagon trade, 500k pills recovered
Syrian authorities have seized nearly 500,000 captagon pills in a bust against a drug smuggling and manufacturing ring in the city of Hama, according to state news agency SANA.
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Hidden crisis on Bristol’s streets as dozens of women forced into ‘survival sex’
A young woman, dressed in jeans, white trainers, and a green coat, stands on the edge of a dark pavement smoking a cigarette, just yards from a primary school.
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Three Britons caught with £300,000 of cocaine in Bali set for deportation after turning informants
A trio of British drug mules who attempted to smuggle £300,000 worth of cocaine into Bali are reportedly set to be deported back to the UK after avoiding the death penalty.
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Prison scandal: 19-year-old officer admits illegal relationship and smuggling
Alicia Novas, 19, and 30-year-old Declan Winkless appeared in court today to admit several offenses committed between August last year and March this year.
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Experts sound alarm over illegal sellers using review platforms to mislead public
Companies selling illegal weight-loss drugs are amassing positive Trustpilot reviews as critics say regulatory gaps allow high-risk operators to appear credible.
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NCA finds Moscow-backed spy ring connected to Marsalek laundering British drug profits
Investigators at the U.K.’s National Crime Agency say cash generated by Britain’s local drug trade was funneled through a bank connected to the Kremlin’s intelligence services and sanctioned defense sector, expanding the known scope of a vast Russian money laundering network uncovered last year.
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Prescription fees to stay at £9.90 as government extends price freeze
The price of a single item will remain at £9.90, while three-month and annual pre-payment certificates will also be frozen.
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Romanian ringleader accused of 10 rapes was offered £1,500 to leave the UK
Mircea Marian Cumpanasoiu, 38, led an Eastern European network that raped, drugged, and exploited vulnerable local women in Dundee.
768
Holiday camp boss admits decades of child abuse after running residential trips for up to 70 children a year
A 76-year-old man has admitted to 17 charges after reportedly attacking two children and contaminating sweets with sedatives at a summer camp.
785
Truck plows through South Korean market, killing 2 and injuring 18
Two individuals lost their lives and at least 18 others sustained injuries after a truck drove into pedestrians at an open-air market.
886
Venezuela mobilizes troops as US carrier group enters Caribbean waters
Attendees of the Bolivarian National Militia participate in a military exercise in Naguanagua, Venezuela, amidst escalating tensions with the United States.
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How Roche used patents to extend its breast cancer drug monopoly until 2042
An exclusive tally of Roche’s patent portfolio for its four monoclonal antibodies (“mAb”) treatments for breast cancer shows that, 27 years after the first product hit the market, about 100 patents still protect its products.
859
UN says opium production in Afghanistan falls to record low after Taliban crackdown
Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan fell 20% in 2025 compared to the previous year, according to a new report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), marking a continued decline since the Taliban’s 2022 nationwide ban on poppy farming.
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Portugal intercepts narco-submarine carrying 1.7 tonnes of cocaine en route to Iberian peninsula
Portuguese authorities intercepted a drug-carrying vessel in the Atlantic Ocean with 1.7 tonnes of cocaine destined for European markets.
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Nineteen-year-old from Teesside accused of smuggling 14kg of drugs into Georgia
A pregnant British teenager accused of drug-smuggling has been moved to a mother-and-baby unit in a Georgian prison, her mother said.
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Four arrested as imitation firearms and drugs seized in Birmingham raids
Police forced entry into two properties in Digbeth following reports of illegal money-laundering operations.
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Pakistan Navy, with Saudi-led task force, intercepts record drug hauls worth nearly $1 billion
The Pakistan Navy’s seizure of narcotics in two major operations in the Arabian Sea this week is one of the largest in history and a crucial step in curbing drug trafficking routes across the region, an expert told OCCRP on Friday.
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London cocaine dealer sentenced to 20 months after undercover police sting
A cocaine dealer has been jailed after he was caught by a plain clothes officer. Police swooped on Adi Skura, 22, on Cannon Street on September 18, after he was seen handing someone a suspicious package on Garlick Hill.
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Blood, gold, and offshores: who helped Alisher Usmanov turn from convict into European tycoon
While the notoriously infamous businessman continues to win cases in German courts, new, astonishing facts about his criminal past are emerging.
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19-year-old bar worker found dead in Manchester flat amid drugs investigation
A 19-year-old bar worker from one of Manchester’s most popular music venues has been found dead in a city centre flat, prompting a police investigation and three arrests.
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Drug overdose deaths hit 32-year high as synthetic opioids flood UK market
The number of drug overdose deaths has soared to a 32-year high, including a fourfold increase in lives lost after taking synthetic drugs up to 100 times more potent than heroin.
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Weight-loss jab black market surges as criminals sell fake Mounjaro, Wegovy and retatrutide
Weight-loss injections such as Mounjaro and Wegovy are sweeping the nation, with about 4% of households keeping these medicines on hand.