TOPIC

Drugs

Drugs
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Drugs. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
US President Donald Trump (left) and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Trump told NBC News he’s keeping the possibility of war with Venezuela on the table. Photo: AFP
United States

Trump leaves war with Venezuela on the table, threatens more seizures: NBC

The comments increase pressure on Nicolas Maduro’s regime, but Trump wouldn’t say if ousting the Venezuelan leader was his ultimate goal.

Americas and the Caribbean

Trump’s Venezuela ‘blockade’ raises legal questions as US masses forces

Americas and the Caribbean

US forces strike another alleged drug boat in eastern Pacific, killing 4

9
Americas and the Caribbean

Trump orders blockade of sanctioned oil tankers going in and out of Venezuela

Venezuelan government condemns blockade as ‘irrational’ after the US president demands it ‘return’ oil, land and assets to the US.

videocam
32
The crude oil tanker Skipper, which was seized by the US military off the coast of Venezuela last week. Photo Vantor via AP
Fame and celebrity

US doctor who helped sell ketamine to Matthew Perry avoids prison time

Mark Chavez was sentenced to eight months of home confinement and must do 300 hours of community service.

videocam
Singapore

Singapore court dismisses challenge to mandatory death penalty for drugs

Singapore’s High Court rejects first constitutional challenge in 15 years to decades-old law as executions rise; activists may appeal.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
US-China relations

China seizes 430kg cocaine aided by US intel, in sign anti-drug pact is working

Chinese authorities uncovered the drug in an international container at the Yantian port in Shenzhen, according to CCTV.

videocam
22
Chinese authorities are reported to have seized the cocaine from an international container at Yantian port in Shenzhen, southern China. Photo: Reuters
Americas and the Caribbean

US military boat strikes kill 8, adding to drug war death toll

The US military said it targeted ‘designated terrorist organisations’, and posted video of an operation in the eastern Pacific.

Donald Trump

Trump considers reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug

Reclassification could have ripple effects in the US, and represent one of the most significant federal changes to marijuana policy in decades.

United States

Trump declares fentanyl a ‘weapon of mass destruction’

US president dramatically escalates his fight against the drug by signing an executive order and warning against the ‘scourge’ of fentanyl.

40
US President Donald Trump with his signed executive order classifying fentanyl as a ‘weapon of mass destruction’. Photo: Reuters
Americas and the Caribbean

Tensions rise as US prepares to seize more tankers with Venezuelan oil

Seizure off Venezuela signals a crackdown on a shadow fleet of tankers and financially squeezing the Maduro government.

videocam
6
A satellite image shows the Skipper tanker and another vessel off Port Jose, Venezuela, on November 18, 2025. Photo: Planet Labs PBC via Reuters
Americas and the Caribbean

Tanker seized off Venezuela to be taken to US port, as threat of war grows

White House justifies targeting ‘black-market oil’ as Russia expresses support for its ally, Nicolas Maduro.

videocam
Americas and the Caribbean

Explainer | US-Venezuela tensions: how far will Trump go?

As tensions escalate in the Caribbean, the world waits for Washington’s next move.

videocam
United States

Forget the war on drugs. The US has gone to war on a font

The US State Department is ditching Calibri font, to restore ‘decorum and professionalism’.

The US State Department building in Washington. Photo: Reuters
China-Latin America relations

US senators warn of China-cartel links forming a global ‘Silk Road of crime’

At a Senate hearing, officials described Chinese money brokers as key to laundering cartel funds and fuelling the illicit fentanyl trade.

videocam
7
US Customs and Border Protection display plastic bags of fentanyl after being seized at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. US lawmakers say Chinese money brokers and Latin American cartels have merged their operations into a system that blurs the line between trade and trafficking. Photo: Reuters
Indonesia

Video | Indonesia sends home Dutch death row convict

Two Dutch nationals convicted of drug offences returned home after more than a decade in prison a week after Indonesia and the Netherlands signed a repatriation deal.

Singapore

Myanmar teen to be first foreigner deported under Singapore’s new Kpod law

As of September 1, foreigners with Kpods or testing positive for etomidate may be deported and banned from re-entering Singapore.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong police arrest 2 over possession of suspected dangerous drugs

Man, 55, and woman, 49, stopped in Cheung Sha Wan with officers seizing cartridges and packets of suspected etomidate and methamphetamine.

A government advertisement warning about the dangers of the drug previously named the drug “space oil” and renamed as etomidate. Photo: May Tse
Fame and celebrity

US actress Tara Reid seen downing wine in footage from night of alleged drugging

The ‘American Pie’ star accused a YouTuber of spiking her drink, but he denies it and authorities say the video is clear.

Americas and the Caribbean

US admiral denies ‘kill them all’ order in Caribbean boat strike

Admiral Frank Bradley briefs US lawmakers on the September 2 Caribbean attack that did not initially kill all on an alleged drug boat.

India

Opinion | Not just China: India also a piece of the US opioid puzzle

Like China, India has a large pharmaceutical sector that provides precursor chemicals. But it lacks China’s drug policy control.

videocam
Tricia Theriault, from New Hampshire, reacts during the Fourth Annual National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day event in Times Square, New York City, US, on August 21. Photo: Reuters
China-Latin America relations

China says it is working ‘with all parties’ to prevent escalation in Venezuela

Beijing’s outreach comes amid a US naval build-up and a rare phone call between Trump and Maduro.

14
Washington has deployed the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford and around 12,000 sailors and Marines to the Caribbean region. Photo: Reuters
Americas and the Caribbean

With US warships near, Venezuela’s Maduro describes call with Trump

Phone call occurred amid a massive US military build-up in the region and deadly strikes on alleged drug vessels.

China economy

Opinion | How China engineered the rapid rise of its drug innovation industry

A market once dominated by generics is now an AI-powered pharmaceutical hub drawing billion-dollar investments from the likes of Pfizer and GSK.

videocam
Fame and celebrity

Doctor who sold ketamine to Friends star Matthew Perry gets 2½ years in prison

Salvador Plasencia did not provide the drugs that killed the actor, the judge says, but he exploited Perry’s addiction for his own profit.

videocam
Salvador Plasencia arrives for his sentencing on charges of supplying ketamine to actor Matthew Perry in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
China-Latin America relations

China unlikely to aid Maduro if US acts, but may benefit from fallout: analysts

Beijing condemns US pressure on Caracas but offers limited support, prioritising its economic interests and long-term gains.

videocam
27
Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) meets with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Moscow on the sidelines of the celebration marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War in May. Photo: Xinhua
United States

Hegseth’s Signal use posed risk to US forces, Pentagon review finds

White House ‘stands by’ Pentagon chief Hegseth, who is also under intensifying scrutiny over US strikes in the Caribbean.

videocam
Myanmar

Myanmar’s opium poppy growing at 10-year high amid civil war, turmoil

Myanmar has overtaken Afghanistan as the world’s main known source of illicit opium.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement