Biden & Xi discuss fentanyl; CIA seeks expanded counternarcotic powers; Mexican meth goes global & dominates Australian market; huge opiate seizure in Iran; Europol report on organised crime in EU
TOP STORIES:
Biden and Xi discuss Taiwan, AI and fentanyl in a push to return to regular leader talks (AP)
CIA seeks expanded surveillance capabilities to fight fentanyl (USA Today)
Methamphetamine traffickers in Mexico become global wholesalers (Insight Crime)
Tracing China’s grey-market precursor chemical trade (Insight Crime)
More than two tons of opiates seized in southeast Iran in 24 hours (ISNA)
Europol report identifies the most threatening criminal networks in the EU (Europol)
North America main source of Australian meth, accounting for at least 70% of the market, as Mexican cartels target the country (AFP)
ALSO IN THE NEWS:
Africa
Sierra Leone
Arise News: Sierra Leone president declares national emergency on substance abuse, particularly the widespread use of kush
North America
United States
USA Today: Coast Guard seizes about 840 kg of cocaine in Caribbean
CFR: On fentanyl, Biden should look to work with China
CBS News: What happened when we put fentanyl test strips to the test
AP: Oregon governor signs a bill recriminalizing drug possession into law
UPI: Yellen says China needs to slow down production, tackle money laundering in drug trade
NYTimes: Teen drug use habits are changing, for the good. With caveats.
South & Central America
Colombia
France24: Colombia's cocaine canyon - The guerrilla turf impeding peace
El Nuevo Siglo: Colombian government issues report detailing fentanyl data, including 30 deaths from 2013 to 2023
Mexico
FT: How Mexico stymied America’s war on drugs
UnHerd: The man who betrayed El Chapo
Washington Post: Catholic bishops mediate truce with Mexican cartel bosses
Central Asia
Azerbaijan
Iran Wire: Azerbaijan reports ten seizures of drugs from Iran in ten days, hundreds of kilograms of narcotics seized
East & Southeast Asia
China
SCMP: Unraveling China’s role in the US fentanyl crisis
SCMP: Hong Kong police seize HK$19 million in cocaine that washed up on popular beach
Indonesia
Antara: Police arrest two Indonesians and one Malaysian for drug-trafficking, seize more than 31 kg of crystal meth
Myanmar
SCMP: Myanmar farmers turn to growing opium with no end in sight to coup chaos
Philippines
HRW: Philippines - new ‘drug war’ declared in Davao City
Thailand
Bangkok Post: 110 kg of crystal meth, 60 kg of ketamine seized from Bangkok hotel
South Asia
India
TNN: Why meth in tea bags is latest headache brewing for cops
Pakistan
APP: Pakistan Navy and ANF seize 150 kg of crystal meth near Gwadar
UrduPoint: ANF seizes over 485 kg of drugs in multiple operations, including liquid meth at Karachi airport
UrduPoint: ANF seizes almost 500 kg of opiates, other drugs in multiple operations
West Asia
Iran
Mehr News: 214 kg of heroin seized in northwest Iran
Mehr News: In speech laying out plans for coming year, Iran’s anti-drug chief prioritizes threat posed by synthetic drugs
Mehr News: 1.6 tons of drugs seized in southeast Iran, including opiates and hashish
Borna: More than 332 kg of opiates seized in Shiraz
France24: Spike in executions shows Iran’s prisons are ‘killing fields’, says Amnesty International
Iraq
The Media Line: About 1 million captagon pills seized in Baghdad
Shafaq: Iraq dismantles international drug trafficking network intending to smuggle large amount of crystal meth
Türkiye
NTV: More than 1 ton of drugs seized in operations across Türkiye
Europe
United Kingdom
BBC: More than 1.1 tonne of cocaine seized from Jersey-registered boat in the Caribbean
BBC: Royal Navy seizes 200 kg of cocaine from speedboats in the Caribbean
Inside Time: Deaths at prison in Wales linked to nitazenes
Oceania
Australia
The Guardian: Queensland’s first festival pill-testing service finds ‘Canberra ketamine’ sold as MDMA
The Guardian: 256 kg of cocaine have washed up on the shore of NSW since December