Cocaine Seizures Soar as Hong Kong Becomes Regional Drug Hub
A string of large seizures of cocaine underscores Hong Kong’s growing role as a regional import point and consumer market.
LatAm Synthetic Drug Trade Booming: UNODC Report
Organized crime groups in Latin America continue to expand into illicit synthetic drug production, including mass manufacturing of methamphetamine and fentanyl in Mexico, and experiments with synthesizing party drugs in…
Brazil's Santa Catarina Becoming Country's MDMA Hub
Authorities have made Brazil's largest ever-seizure of ecstasy in the southern state of Santa Catarina in the latest example of how the production of the synthetic drug is spreading rapidly…
South Korea Becomes Transit Point for Mexican Methamphetamine
South Korean authorities have arrested a drug trafficker suspected of importing up to a ton of methamphetamine from Mexico for re-export to Australia, displaying how Mexican synthetic drugs continue to…
South Africa Raises Profile as Cocaine Trafficking Hub
South Africa has made a rapid succession of large cocaine seizures in recent months, illuminating how the country and region now play a significant role as transit points for Latin…
Hashish, Wax, THC Oil: Latin America’s Marijuana Markets Diversify
A series of seizures and drug raids across Latin America have revealed how previously niche high-strength marijuana products are establishing themselves within the region’s drug markets.
Balkan Gangs Supervise Cocaine Trade from Colombia and Across Europe
A cell within a notorious Montenegrin cocaine trafficking group has been dismantled on Spain’s Canary Islands, demonstrating how Balkan drug smugglers may be utilizing their Latin American connections to re-position…
Vigilante Death Squad Sends Bloody Message in Brazil-Paraguay Border Region
A shadowy vigilante death squad operating on the Brazil-Paraguay border is killing supposed thieves and then leaving notes next to their mutilated bodies -- a macabre message even for a…
How Dominican Gangs Became Major Security Threat in Spain
Spiraling violence around Madrid is being blamed on the fracturing and spread of Dominican gangs, which have become Spain's primary urban security threat.
Human Smugglers Profit From Despair of Haitian Migrants in Brazil
Government officials in Brazil say smugglers are moving Haitian migrants across the country's border with Peru, as many of them take a first step in the perilous journey north toward…
Fishermen Call for Aid Against Illegal Fishing in Yucatán, Mexico
Illegal fishing is out of control in the Mexican state of Yucatán, say local fishermen and media, as illegal techniques, competition from out-of-state vessels and dwindling fisheries combine to threaten…
Hashish: New Player in Brazil Drug Markets
In stopping a European sailboat, Brazilian authorities have made a record seizure of marijuana resin, also known as hashish, revealing both a new trans-Atlantic drug route and the ongoing diversification…