fentanyl bust

US officials have dismantled a major drug trafficking network linked to the Sinaloa cartel, seizing a record three million fentanyl-laced pills in a multi-state operation. Sixteen individuals were arrested, including a key cartel operative, as authorities recovered significant quantities of fentanyl powder, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, cash, and firearms.

Mexico said Thursday it has made the biggest seizure of pure fentanyl in its history, after five suspected drug traffickers were arrested at a lab along with 260 pounds (118 kilograms) of the synthetic opioid. Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin, and only a tiny amount is needed to make counterfeit oxycodone pills.

Costa Rican police have detained suspected gang members involved in the production and trafficking of fentanyl, a synthetic drug linked to the overdose crisis in the United States. The arrests were made in an operation backed by the US Drug Enforcement Administration, resulting in the seizure of 1,100 fentanyl pills and the discovery of a fentanyl laboratory. The presence of fentanyl in Costa Rica has raised concerns, as the country has become a major transit point for the illicit drug trade. The arrests come amid a surge in violent crime in Costa Rica and increasing disapproval of President Rodrigo Chaves' crime-fighting record.

Directorate of Revenue Intelligence with the help of a team of scientists busted an illegal laboratory in Indore and recovered 9 kg of a deadly synthetic opioid, fentanyl, that could have potentially killed 4-5 million people. It was run by a local businessman and a “US-hating” PhD “scholar chemist”.

In one of the biggest narcotic seizures of the year, the city police have busted a major international drug peddling racket with the arrest of four persons and confiscated 100 kg of fentanyl worth Rs 1,000 crore.

Coronavirus is dealing a gut punch to the illegal drug trade, paralyzing economies, closing borders and severing supply chains in China that traffickers rely on for the chemicals to make such profitable drugs as methamphetamine and fentanyl

A significant illegal network dealing in narcotic drugs was dismantled by the Drugs Control Administration in Hyderabad. Raids at Secunderabad's GV Saluja Hospital led to the seizure of various drugs and implicated seven individuals. Neha Bhagwath, the primary suspect, allegedly supplied these substances without proper licenses, potentially enabling drug abuse. Officials seized substantial quantities of controlled substances from her residence.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is set to announce new restrictions on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. While the agency has successfully utilized AI in drug busts and crime prevention, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stresses the importance of responsible and trustworthy use of AI that safeguards privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties.

India has not extended an invitation to Pakistan for a two-day meeting starting in New Delhi on Tuesday where heads of Customs of at least 21 countries in the Asia Pacific will gather to devise a common strategy to counter organised crimes such as narco-terrorism, money laundering and gold smuggling.

United States President Joe Biden has announced pardoning thousands of Americans convicted of marijuana possession. As countries world over begin to decriminalise use of cannabis for recreational and therapeutic use, a hard look at why the land of thandai and 'bhang ladoos' needs to re-examine its archaic drug laws