fentanyl

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US Appetite for Cocaine Powers Rise of Cartel Boss

'El Mencho' is now Mexico's most powerful drug lord

(Newser) - As cocaine use surges in the US, Nemesio "Mencho" Oseguera, leader of Mexico's Jalisco New Generation Cartel, has emerged as the most powerful drug lord in the country, and possibly the world. Operating from a fortified hideout in the Sierra Madre, Oseguera has capitalized on two trends:...

Mike Tyson Says He Used Fentanyl 'Quite a Few Times'

He says he used it to deal with pain late in his career

(Newser) - Boxing legend Mike Tyson has revealed he used fentanyl in the late '90s to cope with pain during his career, shedding light on the hidden struggles behind his time in the ring. Speaking on the Katie Miller Podcast , the former heavyweight champ said he used fentanyl "quite...

Rand Paul Says Vance Remarks Show 'Disdain for Human Life'

VP calls strike on Venezuelan boat 'best use of our military'; GOP senator slams lack of due process

(Newser) - Sen. Rand Paul publicly rebuked Vice President JD Vance after Vance praised a US military strike that destroyed a Venezuelan boat allegedly used by drug traffickers, killing 11 people. Vance had identified those on the boat as "cartel members" and called the attack the "highest and best...

After Her Son's Fatal Overdose She Wanted Someone Punished

A grieving parent searches for justice after fentanyl kills her 25-year-old

(Newser) - Serena Fallon's son Connor died of a fentanyl overdose in her Brooklyn basement in April 2022. Police and a medical examiner came to the home, and six hours later, Connor was wheeled out in a body bag. As Serena put it, "My son and the baby in...

Tests Suggest More Workers Are Using Fentanyl

Positivity rate in random tests has doubled since 2020

(Newser) - A growing share of American workers are testing positive for fentanyl in random workplace drug checks, according to new data from Quest Diagnostics. The lab analyzed more than 8 million urine tests and found that 1.13% were positive for fentanyl in 2024, up from 0.91% the previous...

Report: Trump Administration Ready to Move on Mexico

Pentagon plans strikes on drug cartels there, apparently with or without Mexico's OK

(Newser) - The Trump administration has reportedly instructed the US military to ready plans for direct attacks against Mexican drug cartels, with preparations to be managed by the Northern Command and a target date for the plans set for mid-September. According to three military sources who spoke to independent journalist Ken...

Welfare Check Leads to Another Arrest for Paul Rodriguez

Comedian, 70, is arrested on charges of narcotics possession, same as he was in March

(Newser) - When Paul Rodriguez was arrested earlier this year in California for narcotics possession, his lawyers insisted that the drugs belonged to the driver of the vehicle he was riding in, not to Rodriguez. Police now say the 70-year-old comedian is once more in legal trouble, after being arrested Monday (again...

Nearly 100 Patients Die After Hospital Fentanyl Treatments

Tests confirm painkiller distributed in Argentina carried drug-resistant bacteria

(Newser) - Argentina is reeling after close to 100 hospital patients died following treatment with contaminated medical-use fentanyl. First reported in May, the deaths—at least 87 but possibly as many as 96, per the Guardian —have been traced to fentanyl batches supplied by HLB Pharma and produced at Laboratorio...

Trump OKs Military Action on Latin American Drug Cartels

Move signals a shift from law enforcement to military involvement

(Newser) - President Trump has quietly authorized the Pentagon to use military force against certain Latin American drug cartels, stepping up an already aggressive push to label these organizations as foreign terrorist threats. The directive, confirmed to the New York Times by sources familiar with internal discussions, paves the way for...

You Know Fentanyl. You Should Know Nitazenes

Super-potent opioids quietly contaminate street drugs around the globe

(Newser) - A new class of synthetic opioids, far deadlier than fentanyl, is quietly driving a surge in overdose deaths across Europe and beyond. Originally developed in the 1950s but never approved for medical use due to fatal side effects, nitazenes have quietly infiltrated the drug markets, particularly in the UK...

Man Calls Ex's Alleged Plan to Murder Him 'Pretty Ingenious'

Texas' Pamela Stanley is accused of plot to poison former husband with fentanyl-spiked chocolates

(Newser) - A Texas woman is facing charges after authorities say she tried to mail her ex-husband fentanyl-laced chocolates disguised as a gift. Pamela Jean Stanley, 63, was indicted by a Parker County grand jury last week after being arrested at the end of May, reports NBC Dallas-Fort Worth . Investigators allege...

'Disappointment and Concern' After Autopsy on Sheriff

County sheriff in New Mexico died from effects of fentanyl, alcohol

(Newser) - Medical investigators have determined that a county sheriff in northern New Mexico died from the toxic effects of fentanyl and alcohol, according to autopsy results made public Thursday. Rio Arriba County Sheriff Billy Merrifield, 50, was found dead inside his patrol vehicle outside his Abiquiu home on Easter morning following...

Trump: Mexico's President Won't Let Me Send US Troops In

Sheinbaum stands firm on Mexican sovereignty amid cartel concerns

(Newser) - President Trump confirmed over the weekend that he proposed sending US troops into Mexico to help fight drug cartels—an idea Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected, the AP reports. Trump, speaking to reporters on Air Force One, claimed Sheinbaum turned down the suggestion out of fear of the cartels,...

China Looks for Fentanyl Angle to Spark Tariff Negotiations

Security chief asks what the Trump administration wants done to stop chemicals' flow

(Newser) - With its economy already feeling the trade war with the US, China is preparing its people to dig in for a long battle. At the same time, officials are looking into whether fentanyl might serve as a conversation starter for the two countries, the Wall Street Journal reports. Chinese companies...

California Mayor Takes Heat for Homelessness 'Fix'

Rex Parris of Lancaster, California, says 'free fentanyl' will help 'purge' his city

(Newser) - A mayor in Southern California is facing calls for a recall after controversial comments he made more than once about his city's homeless population. KTLA reports that Lancaster's Rex Parris first landed on the radar for his remarks during a Feb. 25 City Council meeting , in which a...

Fentanyl's Hold on Portland Eased. Then Meth Arrived

The New York Times looks at the Maine town's current drug woe

(Newser) - When patients started missing appointments at one Maine addiction clinic, staffers braced themselves for a wave of opioid relapses—only to discover a different drug was taking over the city's streets. As Jan Hoffman reports in a lengthy piece for the New York Times , "cheap and plentiful"...

Trump Says He Told Trudeau: 'That's Not Good Enough'

President claims Canadian leader is using tariff fight to stay in power

(Newser) - President Trump says he had a call with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday that ended in a "somewhat" friendly manner—but it apparently wasn't enough to change Trump's mind about tariffs. "I told him that many people have died from Fentanyl that came through...

Owner of Daycare Where Toddler Fatally Ingested Fentanyl Sentenced

Grei Mendez gets 45 years behind bars, the same sentence as her husband

(Newser) - A woman who owned a New York City day care center where a toddler died after ingesting fentanyl has been sentenced to 45 years in prison after pleading guilty to federal drug charges, the AP reports. Grei Mendez, 37, dropped her head into her crossed arms in anguish as Judge...

Report: US Drones Search for Mexican Drug Labs

Secret program has apparently been expanded—with or without Mexico's cooperation

(Newser) - A secret government program to send US drones to look for fentanyl labs in Mexico has been dialed up under the Trump administration, reports the New York Times . Started under President Biden, the drone flights have increased under President Trump and his CIA director, John Ratcliffe, who've promised more...

She Was 15, He Was 17. Theirs Isn't a Love Story
She Was 15, He Was 17.
Theirs Isn't a Love Story
longform
Dec 15, 2024 6:00 AM CST

She Was 15, He Was 17. Theirs Isn't a Love Story

Maylia Sotelo sold fentanyl pills to Jack McDonough that killed him, and ProPublica digs in

(Newser) - When the fentanyl crisis began, most of its victims were adults. But as ProPublica reports, the rate of overdose deaths among teens has been surging since the pandemic. The outlet's in-depth story by Lizzie Presser brings home that truth by looking at how the lives of two Wisconsin teens...

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