Synthetic Drugs

All About Synthetic Drugs

NEWS

Fentanyl and 2CB, Worrying New Cocktail on Colombia's Party Circuit

COLOMBIA / 20 JUL 2021

A synthetic drug popular in Colombia's party scene was recently found to be laced with the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl, creating a deadly mix that has not been previously reported…

US Drug Deaths Explode, Fueled by Mexico Production of Synthetics

FENTANYL / 19 JUL 2021

The United States saw a record toll in drug overdose deaths last year, driven in part by two powerful synthetic drugs mass-produced in Mexico and then smuggled over the border.

Love Honey - The Odd Sexual Stimulant Sweeping Brazil's Party Scene

BRAZIL / 10 JUL 2021

Brazil has seen its fair share of new synthetic drugs, but the latest hit, known as “love honey,” may be the strangest in a while. And despite being a cultural…

How Mexico's Drug Trade Has Evolved Over a Century

COCAINE / 21 JUN 2021

Misconceptions surrounding Mexico's drug trade have long been replicated in popular culture and public discourses.

Cocaine, Crack, Meth, MDMA - Europe Drugs Report Paints Grim Picture

COCAINE / 15 JUN 2021

A recent report on drug trafficking and consumption in Europe highlights the acceleration of existing trends and the emergence of new ones, both of which impact Latin America’s criminal landscape.

Methamphetamine Taking Over Mexico’s Domestic Drug Market

FEATURED / 29 APR 2021

Methamphetamine use in Mexico has grown exponentially in recent years and now rivals marijuana as the drug most cited by patients in treatment for substance abuse.

How Fentanyl, More than Heroin, Drives US Opioid Market

FEATURED / 28 APR 2021

The deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl has displaced heroin as the leading driver of the ongoing opioid crisis in the United States and is contributing to a deadly scramble for market-control…

The United States is Now Meth Country

FEATURED / 27 APR 2021

Long considered a backwater, low-class drug, methamphetamine availability and use has exploded in the United States in the last few years in places where it had never been consumed in…

Fentanyl Seizures Explode Across United States

FENTANYL / 14 APR 2021

Seizures of the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl by customs agents in the United States have skyrocketed nationwide, underscoring potential shifts in drug markets amid the country’s ongoing opioid crisis.

A Guatemala Arrest, a US Indictment, and a Mexico Attack

KNIGHTS TEMPLAR / 2 APR 2021

Following the arrest of a former Mexican mayor in Guatemala, US prosecutors unveiled an indictment against him and criminal rivals allegedly attacked the town he once ruled.

Santa Catarina, Brazil

ARMS TRAFFICKING / 4 MAR 2021

Santa Catarina is a launchpad for cocaine destined for Europe and a transit point for marijuana and contraband headed to the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul and Uruguay.

Mexico's Fentanyl Crisis Reached New Heights in 2020

FENTANYL / 14 JAN 2021

Trafficking of the deadly opioid fentanyl skyrocketed in 2020 throughout Mexico, solidifying the synthetic drug's status as a top criminal economy and the country's role as an international trafficking transit…

European Drug Report Shows Advances in Trans-Atlantic Drug Trafficking

COCAINE / 12 OCT 2020

A new major report about drug trafficking and consumption in Europe has provided key insights into how a record production of cocaine in Latin America has impacted the supply of…

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About InSight Crime

ABOUT US

THE ORGANIZATION

Unraveling the Web of Elites Connected to Organized Crime

27 JUL 2021

InSight Crime published Elites and Organized Crime in Nicaragua, a deep dive into the relationships between criminal actors and elites in that Central American nation.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Greater Focus on US-Mexico Border

20 JUL 2021

InSight Crime has decided to turn many of its investigative resources towards understanding and chronicling the criminal dynamics along the US-Mexico border.

THE ORGANIZATION

Key Arrests and Police Budget Increases Due to InSight Crime Investigations

8 JUL 2021

With Memo Fantasma’s arrest, InSight Crime has proven that our investigations can and will uncover major criminal threats in the Americas.

THE ORGANIZATION

Organized Crime’s Influence on Gender-Based Violence

30 JUN 2021

InSight Crime investigator Laura N. Ávila spoke on organized crime and gender-based violence at the launch of a research project by the United Nations Development Programme.