illegal drugs

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In Cuba, These 'Little Papers' Are Sending Youth to Rehab

Drug use in island nation used to be uncommon, but quimico has helped change that

(Newser) - A few dozen people stood in a circle in a room at a Havana psychiatric hospital, their hands clasped as they chanted in unison, vowing to rid their bodies from "the toxins that enslave." The collective plea to reclaim their freedom for just the next 24 hours was...

He Won $3.3M, Then Set Up a Huge Pill Mill

Lottery winner John Eric Spiby, 80, gets more than 16 years behind bars in the UK

(Newser) - An 80-year-old lottery winner who once took home $3.3 million has been jailed for helping run what a judge called one of the largest fake-pill operations ever uncovered by UK police. A Bolton crown court jury found John Eric Spiby guilty of conspiring to produce and supply Class C...

He Tried to Steal a Car, Checked the Trunk, Called Cops
He Tried to Steal a Car,
Checked the Trunk, Called Cops
in case you missed it
Jan 18, 2026 6:15 AM CST

He Tried to Steal a Car, Checked the Trunk, Called Cops

Alleged drug-trafficking scheme uncovered on Cape Cod after wannabe thief finds cocaine

(Newser) - A would-be car thief on Cape Cod ended up handing police a major drug case instead, authorities say. Barnstable police say the chain of events started on Jan. 6, when a man called to report he'd found a package of drugs on the side of the road, per the...

DeSantis Mulls State Charges Against Maduro

Fla. governor backs seeking separate state case over Venezuela leader's alleged drug crimes

(Newser) - Florida could try to pile on Nicolas Maduro's legal troubles. Gov. Ron DeSantis said this week that the attorney general's office in Florida is "looking very seriously" at bringing state charges against the Venezuelan leader, days after Maduro was brought to the US and pleaded not guilty...

Tests Find Illegal Drugs in Executed Inmates

Alabama officials have acknowledged drug trafficking in prisons

(Newser) - Some of Alabama's most tightly guarded death row inmates have managed to get high behind bars, with toxicology reports revealing illegal drugs in the systems of several men executed by the state since 2023. Four inmates put to death since the state resumed capital punishment in 2023—including...

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...

Along the Border, a 'Virtual Wall' Is Emerging on Both Sides

Drone tech escalates as police, drug cartels in Mexico face off

(Newser) - Local police along the US-Mexico border are increasingly turning to AI-powered drones to track drug traffickers, seek out migrants trying to cross into the US, assist in emergencies, and compensate for staff shortages and reduced federal funding. While US officials have long used drones along the border, creating what...

'Big Pink' Serves as Symbol of Portland's 'Doom Loop'

US Bancorp Tower is just one of many buildings in Oregon city that can't attract business tenants

(Newser) - Once a crown jewel of Portland's skyline, the US Bancorp Tower—aka "Big Pink"—now sits more than half empty. The 42-story tower's struggle to attract and retain business tenants speaks volumes about the city's downtown struggles. It's also now up for sale,...

Off Coast of Portugal, a Massive Cocaine Bust on a Submersible

6.5 tons of the drug were confiscated, about a quarter of the haul over the course of 2024

(Newser) - Portuguese police have seized a semi-submersible vessel transporting 6.5 tons of cocaine destined for Europe, authorities in Lisbon said on Tuesday. Portuguese officials said they arrested five crew members after intercepting the vessel in the Atlantic Ocean, around 500 nautical miles south of the Azores, reports the AP . The...

Those Online Pharmacies? It's Not Great News

Feds say nearly all are being run illegally, upping risk of consumers getting dangerous, ineffective drugs

(Newser) - Nearly all of the world's 35,000 online pharmacies are being run illegally, and consumers who use them risk getting ineffective or dangerous drugs, per the US Trade Representative's annual report on "notorious markets." The report also singled out 19 countries over concerns about counterfeit or...

Police Seize 7 Tons of Cocaine Buried Under Farm

Spain's Civil Guard unearthed the drugs in Coria del Rio after following 2 suspicious speedboats

(Newser) - A pair of vessels that attracted the wrong kind of attention in Spain last week led to a hefty drug bust on a nearby farm. Officials from the nation's Civil Guard say their investigation began Friday when two speedboats were spotted at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River, per...

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...

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