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Drugs
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Drugs. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Philippine former national police chief and now Senator Ronald Dela Rosa tries a semi-automatic rifle during a defence and sporting show in Pasay City in 2023. Photo: AFP
The Philippines

Hiding from the ICC? Philippine senator’s 6-month paid absence draws fire

Ronald Dela Rosa has not appeared for work since reports of him being targeted by the ICC as a co-perpetrator in Duterte’s deadly drug war.

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Fame and celebrity

Britney Spears admits reckless driving in DUI plea deal, avoiding jail

Crime in Hong Kong

Man arrested in Hong Kong after police seize HK$800,000 of suspected heroin

Mexico

Mexico captures top cartel leader hiding in roadside ditch

Capture of Jalisco leader with a US$5 million bounty follows the killing of cartel boss ‘El Mencho’ in February.

Mexican special forces with Audias Flores Silva after his capture. Photo: SEMAR via Reuters
Crime

Man pleads guilty in 2002 murder of Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay

Nearly 24 years later, Jay Bryant admits helping gunmen enter studio to ambush Jason Mizell over a drug dispute.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka arrests 22 monks with US$3.5 million worth of cannabis in record haul

Each monk was found with 5kg of kush concealed within false walls in his luggage at Colombo airport.

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Americas and the Caribbean

Explosive device kills 20 and injures 36 on bus in Colombia

At least 26 such incidents have taken place in the last two days, amid a wave of violence linked to drug-trafficking.

Relatives of victims embrace in front of a bus hit by an explosive device in Cajibio, Colombia on Saturday. Photo: AP
United States

US FDA plans ultra-fast review of 3 psychedelic drugs after Trump directive

The recent moves on psychedelics reflect growing popular support for the mind-altering substances among Trump’s supporters.

Chinese history

Inside the 14k, the Hong Kong triad that went global

From its roots in mainland China to expansion in Hong Kong and beyond, we look at the history of one of the most notorious triad societies.

United States

US reclassifies certain marijuana products as a less-dangerous drug

It is one of the most significant federal changes to marijuana policy in decades, removing barriers to ‌researching the drug’s potential use.

The regulation of medical marijuana has come a long way in the US since California became the first state to adopt it in 1996. Photo: TNS
Mexico

Deaths of CIA agents in Mexico spark sovereignty row with White House

President Sheinbaum spars with Washington over the role of Americans in a Chihuahua anti-drug operation.

A camp and drug laboratory in a mountainous area near Guachochi, in Chihuahua state, Mexico. Photo: Chihuahua Attorney General’s Office via AFP
The Philippines

‘Vindication’: ICC chamber rules case against Rodrigo Duterte to proceed

Duterte’s lawyers argue that the crimes against humanity case targeting him should not proceed as the Philippines is not an ICC member.

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Singapore

UN alarmed by Singapore executions for drug-related offences

UN rights chief Turk said drug-related offences not involving loss of life did not meet the ‘most serious crimes’ standard by international law.

China’s private sector

How China’s ‘landmark’ drug pricing guidelines could be a boon for biotech

State Council calls for ‘value-based pricing’ for innovative drugs, a move researchers said would benefit private healthcare players.

Chinese biotech firms reached 157 agreements to out-licence early-stage drugs last year. Photo: Shutterstock
Crime in Hong Kong

5 arrested in Hong Kong as thousands of anti-obesity tablets, injections seized

Authorities conduct two raids and seize over 3000 tablets of clonazepam and zolpidem, and six boxes of unregistered slimming injections.

Weight-loss injections were earlier found to be available on the reseller platform Carousell. Photo: Handout
United States

Trump signs order to speed up review of psychedelics

This would expedite review of drugs such as ibogaine, a drug that US military ‌veteran groups have said can help ⁠treat PTSD.

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Americas and the Caribbean

US military says 4 killed in fourth ‘drug boat’ strike in a week

Death toll from controversial campaign reaches 174 as the US military increases kinetic operations in the eastern Pacific.

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South Korea

In South Korea, you can order online deliveries for almost anything – even drugs

The number of teenagers arrested for drug-related crimes in the country has surged from just 30 in 2005 to 1,477 in 2023.

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A delivery man makes his way on motorbike through Seoul’s busy Hongdae neighbourhood. Photo: Shutterstock
The Philippines

Will Philippine ex-president Duterte stand trial at the ICC, and for how long?

Judges are set to decide by late April whether to send Duterte’s case to trial, with any proceedings expected to move at a ‘glacial pace’.

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India

Opinion | Asia’s flood of cheap Ozempic generics opens gates to weight-loss abuse

Cheaper semaglutides as patent ends is good news for diabetics. But lax regulation also means a risk of abuse by those desperate to lose weight.

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Fame and celebrity

‘Ketamine Queen’ gets 15 years in jail for selling Matthew Perry deadly drugs

Jasveen Sangha allegedly ran an elaborate operation catering to high-end clients like the 54-year-old Friends star.

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Matthew Perry arrives for a film premiere in Los Angeles in April 2009. Photo: AFP
India

Here comes the ‘Mounjaro bride’: Indian pre-wedding prep includes obesity drug

Many Indian marriages are arranged by families, often bringing expectations around physical appearance and financial status.

Brides sit during a mass marriage ceremony in Mumbai. Photo: AFP
Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong customs seizes HK$3.4 million worth of suspected drugs, arrests 2 men

Suspected ketamine, cocaine and ‘Ice’ seized in two separate operations, department says.

US-China relations

Beijing hails US cooperation as ICE returns suspected drug smuggler to China

With Xi and Trump set to meet next month, Beijing says handoff signals ‘progress in bilateral counternarcotics law enforcement’.

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Crime

After car crash, Tiger Woods told officer he was ‘talking to the president’

It wasn’t clear if the golfer, who is dating Vanessa Trump, was talking about US President Donald Trump.

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Tiger Woods is taken into custody by sheriff’s deputies following a car crash in Jupiter Island, Florida, in March. Photo: Martin County Sheriff’s Office via AP
Indonesia

Indonesia to deport Scottish crime boss wanted by Spain

Steven Lyons is wanted in Spain and Britain in connection with organised crime, drug trafficking and money laundering.

Steven Lyons (centre) is escorted by police officers in Denpasar, Bali, on Tuesday, Photo: AFP
Biomedicine: Companies

China biotech deals hit record as innovative drugs draw global interest

Deals reach US$60 billion in first quarter after analysts say Chinese biotech firms have shown substantial technological advancements.

South Korea

South Korean ‘sugar cane killer’ extradited from Philippines over drug empire

Accused of running a drug ring from his Philippine prison cell, ‘VIP’ inmate Park Wang-yeol was extradited after a nine-year legal impasse.

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