Coast Guard seizes 17 tons of cocaine in eastern Pacific over 3 months
The U.S. Coast Guard seized around 35,000 pounds of cocaine during operations in the eastern Pacific Ocean over a three month period. The drugs, confiscated from 21 different fishing and speed boats off the coasts of South America, Central America, and Mexico, originated mostly in Colombia and were destined for
Experts: Capturing Cartel Leaders Increases Violence, Does Not Reduce Flow of Drugs
Since the 1990s, U.S. strategy in the war on drugs has included massive sting operations focused on the top leaders of cartels. The unintended consequences of these takedowns, argues some working in the sector, is that cartels fragment into smaller groups who then war with each other, perpetuating and even
El Chapo trial highlights how Mexico graft impedes drug war
El Chapo’s high profile case, as well as several other lower profile cases, are highlighting the impact and extent of corruption in Mexican politics and drug smuggling, risks that pose severe difficulties to both Mexican and U.S. drug enforcement efforts in the area. Some senior-level officials in the judicial, law
CBP: Cartels using large groups, sick migrants to distract Border Patrol
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency has recently described a surge in drug trafficker’s use of immigrants at the border to distract U.S. officers to open up unprotected smuggling lanes. In one recent instance, a group of 247 immigrants from Central America arrived at the border and 50 of
UN Reports ‘Alarming’ Trends in Drug Trafficking in Africa
“The U.N. drugs and crime chief said Wednesday that his office is registering ‘new, alarming trends’ in drug trafficking in western and central Africa that are destabilizing the ability of country’s to govern as well as security, economic growth and public health. Yuri Fedotov told the Security Council that criminal
Mexico’s New Leader Says He Will Use the Army to Fight Crime
“President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador used his first full day in office Sunday to double down on promises to deploy Mexico’s military for public security to address a key concern: stemming rampant violence and rising murders. Speaking before rows of generals at a sun-drenched military installation in one of Mexico
Pressure mounts as fentanyl from China floods into the US
“Pressure is mounting on China as many believe it is failing to do enough to stop the flood of fentanyl into the United States – contributing to the opioid epidemic which claimed more than 27,000 American lives in 2017 alone. A growing number of US politicians agree that it is now
Philippines’ Duterte sacks all top customs officials over drugs
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has fired all top Customs Bureau officials, citing their failure to intercept a massive shipment of drugs. The previous bureau head was also removed in May of 2017 for the same occurrence. The new Customs head is a retired army general who will fill the position
Drug trafficking at sea is devastating island states, ministers say
“Ministers from tiny island states including Palau, the Solomon Islands and Kiribati are calling for help over the ‘devastating’ impacts of criminal networks in the fishing industry. Fishermen, unable to work because stocks are so low, are being lured into gun-running and drug trafficking by international organised crime, the small
Drones swamp US-Mexico border but federal agents powerless to stop them
“The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI identified this week unmanned aerial systems, or drones, as one of the greatest national security threats to America — rating it as severe a concern as cybersecurity hacks, critical infrastructure attacks, and terrorism. While drones are often thought of as techie toys,