On 23 September, EUROPOL successfully concluded Operation Archimedes, a nine-day counter-organised crime intervention that focused across Europe and into source countries. All 28 EU member states took part, with Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Australia, Colombia and the US also contributing. With 20,000 law enforcement officers involved, Archimedes was the largest joint operation held in the EU.…
• Four kilograms of cocaine and 200 grams of cannabis were seized by French authorities in an official Vatican car. Two people were arrested in connection with the drugs. • Twelve members of a North England gang, that were arrested in 2013 with around £1m worth of cannabis and cocaine were sentenced to between two…
According to Justice Minister Mark Golding, Jamaica’s Cabinet is moving forward with a plan to decriminalise cannabis by the end of 2014. The possibility of decriminalisation first gained political traction in the late 1990s, with the formation of the Ganja Commission, headed by the late Barry Cheveannes. At the time US opposition led to the…
The Global Commission on Drug Policy released a report stating that drug control is out of hand, calling for a shift towards decriminalisation and regulation of most illegal drugs, while cracking down on violent drug gangs. Following a three-year investigation in New Brunswick, Canada, 28 people were arrested, disrupting a major organised crime and drug…
In the early 20th century coca leaf was produced by the Dutch colonial authorities in Indonesia and by the Japanese administration in Taiwan for pharmaceutical purposes. After the Second World War coca production was once again restricted to the Andean core countries where the plant was first domesticated and where coca leaf is widely used…
• 2,800kgs of cocaine were unloaded off the US Coast Guard Cutter Legare and put on display in Miami this week. The haul was the result of a successful two-part US Coast Guard operation which targeted “go-fast” vessels operating off the coasts of Panama and Colombia. • Police in Costa Rica seized an SUV containing 400kgs…
Research published in the US vividly demonstrated the effect which cocaine has upon blood vessels in the brain. •A corrupt Portsmouth dockyard worker was among the 10 individuals imprisoned this week for attempting to smuggle cocaine into the UK disguised in crates of bananas and pineapples. • Peruvian authorities seized 6.5 tons of cocaine from…
Drug use has grown significantly in Argentina, creating a different type of drug war. This 3-part documentary by Vice News reveals the impact of drugs in Rosario, Argentina’s 3rd most populated city. In Rosario, drug dealers have penetrated the police, economy and even football supporter groups, making drug use widespread. [youtube id=”voLnpnHlhXI”] [youtube id=”QMFhdxPgh-c”] [youtube id=”l98IyhYYzXE”]
Canadian police seized 37.5kgs of cocaine concealed inside a shipment of machine parts originating in Panama. • California’s state assembly gave final legislative approval to a bill proposing to lower the penalty for the sale of crack cocaine to the same as that for powdered cocaine. • Costa Rican police arrested 6 drug traffickers at…
