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Drugs

Drugs
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Drugs. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Customs officers display a seizure of about 240kg of suspected drugs at the airport last month. Photo: Jelly Tse
Customs holds a press briefing about a recent month-long operation that resulted in the seizure of drugs with an estimated market value of HK$56 million. Photo: Jelly Tse
Crime in Hong Kong

Nearly 50% rise in drug seizures by Hong Kong customs in first half of year

About 60 per cent of 5,704kg of narcotics seized in six-month period was cannabis and ketamine, with notable increases in smuggling via air and sea.

Crime in Hong Kong

Customs seizes record HK$125 million worth of marijuana shipped by sea, arresting 3

Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong police arrest 3, seize HK$23 million of Ice in Fanling bust

US-China relations

Donald Trump presses China on fentanyl precursors ahead of US summit

White House designates China as the top source of core synthetic drug chemicals despite joint enforcement progress.

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The White House has labelled China “the world’s largest producer of many of the precursor chemicals used to illicitly produce fentanyl, methamphetamine and other deadly synthetic drugs”. Photo: The Dallas Morning News/TNS
Rodrigo Duterte

Video | Rodrigo Duterte appears in ICC courtroom for first time

The former Philippine leader’s trial over his ‘war on drugs’ that killed thousands starts on November 30.

Biomedicine: Companies

GSK’s US$750 million cancer drug deal highlights China’s rise as biotech player

The acquisition is the latest in a string of major licensing deals involving Chinese biotechnology firms.

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Sexual harassment and assault

British man admits drugging, raping wife over more than 2 decades

Man pleads guilty to dozens of charges in Manchester court as 12 co-defendants face trial.

One of the 12 co-defendants outside the court. Photo: Reuters
United States

Ozempic-maker Novo Nordisk slims down to ‘Novo’

It will keep the full Novo Nordisk as its legal corporate name, using Novo and an updated version of its bull logo for its packaging.

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Japan

‘I could go to Japan for free’, says US woman caught with smuggled cannabis

The suspect and her accomplice face up to 10 years in prison under Japan’s strict drug laws.

US-Venezuela conflict

Maduro’s wife seeks release from US jail, citing worsening heart condition

Lawyers request home confinement in New York for former Venezuelan first lady Cilia Flores ahead of June trial.

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Cilia Flores and Nicolas Maduro being escorted by US law enforcement in New York City on January 5, 2026. Photo: Reuters
United States

Rubio defends US strikes on boats, warns of drug cartel ‘cancer’

US Secretary of State pledges continued military operations against suspected drug traffickers in Latin American waters.

According to Pentagon figures, dozens of drug boat strikes have killed more than 200 people. Photo: US Southern Command via AFP
Malaysia

Malaysia arrests second pilot linked to Jakarta Ecstasy pills smuggling

Police said the suspect was in charge of handling the proceeds of the drug sales.

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Technology

As China embraces AI, few US pharmaceutical execs bet on it for innovation

Survey finds drug companies planned to scale AI or had already done so, but few anticipated a ‘wholesale revolution’ from the tech.

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China’s private sector

China needs monkeys: lab animal shortage could hinder biotech growth

As fundraising and out-licensing deals in China grow, so does demand for monkeys and other primates for testing.

The expansion of China’s biotechnology industry is driving up demand for primates. Photo: Shutterstock
Americas and the Caribbean

Thousands of Ecuadorians flee their homes as gang violence worsens

Ecuador recorded 9,216 violent deaths last year, a homicide rate of 51 per 100,000 inhabitants.

A woman displaced by gang violence poses for a photo during an interview in Guayaquil, Ecuador, in July. Photo: Reuters
Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong seizes HK$1.4b suspected drugs over summer as cartels target students

Customs says 150 people aged between 18 and 68 arrested and 6.1 tonnes of suspected drugs seized between May and August.

Africa

Egypt sentences TV presenter, 11 others to death in drugs case

Sarah Khalifa and 11 others were sentenced to ‘death by hanging on charges of forming an organised criminal gang’, state news reported.

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Malaysia

Malaysia arrests 6 over drugs supplied to pilot caught with Ecstasy in Jakarta

Police said the suspects were taken into custody during a special operation conducted last month.

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Indonesian customs officials display drugs smuggled by a Malaysian pilot as evidence during a press conference at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on July 31. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Malaysian police smash drug ring, seize US$1 million of meth disguised as tea

The bust resulted from intelligence sharing between Malaysian and Thai police after a man is caught with suspected drugs in Hua Hin.

China-Latin America relations

Chile fines Chinese mafia inmate after cocaine found at maximum-security prison

Prosecutors link the inmate to a Chinese criminal network targeted in a major police operation last year and a second raid in June.

Vietnam

Vietnam’s move to end executions for drug trafficking sparks debate in region

The proposal has put a spotlight on the different legal approaches against drug trafficking offences in the region.

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Defendants (in blue) stand during their trial for drug trafficking in Ho Chi Minh on November 12, 2023. Photo: Vietnam News Agency/AFP
Hong Kong stock market

China’s Akeso says cancer drug beat AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi in phase 3 trial

The biliary tract cancer trial is the latest breakthrough for Akeso’s ivonescimab, which has also shown promise in treating some lung cancers.

China’s biopharmaceutical firms are increasingly looking to compete directly on the global market. Photo: Shutterstock
Crime

Colombia mulls locking up dangerous criminals on prison ships

Humanitarian watchdogs warn that this form of incarceration breaches human rights.

Americas and the Caribbean

US military kills 2 in eastern Pacific boat strike in first attack in months

Lethal attack on low profile vessel ends two-month pause, bringing total campaign death toll to 223 across 67 strikes.

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ATP

Australia’s Nick Kyrgios admits ‘huge mistake’ after failing test for cocaine

Wimbledon finalist, provisionally suspended after testing positive after an ATP 250 event in Mallorca in June, takes ‘full responsibility’.

Nick Kyrgios, seen here at the Brisbane International tournament in December 2024, has won seven ATP singles titles and rose to a high of world No 13 in 2016. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

Indonesia seizes 2.6 tonnes of liquid meth in record drug bust

This is the second raid involving a Tanzanian-flagged vessel in two weeks. Almost all the crew are from Myanmar.

Crew members from Tanzanian-flagged MV Rain Maker (seated) are photographed after their arrest on Monday. Photo: National Narcotics Agency
Crime in Hong Kong

Customs arrests 10 over HK$56 million cannabis haul bound for Europe, Africa

About 240kg of suspected cannabis buds seized in month-long operation targeting a syndicate that used the city as a transit hub.

Thailand

Thailand to review pardon rules after release of drug lord, 85, brings backlash

Laota Saenlee, a former anti-communist guerrilla turned drug runner, is freed after serving less than a decade of a life sentence.

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