Cocaine & Meth Prices Get High

Transferred cash, drugs across international borders

(NEWSER) - The New York Times last month revealed that undercover US agents have laundered and smuggled millions of dollars for Mexico's drug cartels—and today the paper shines a light on one such operation, in which federal agents helped one drug trafficker and his Colombian supplier move cash and cocaine across international borders. Over a period of months in 2007, US and Mexican agents worked with that supplier—Harold Mauricio Poveda-Ortega, aka "The Rabbit"—who fed cocaine to cartel leader Arturo Beltran Levya, the New York Times reports. More»

(AP) - Mexico has enacted a controversial law decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other drugs while encouraging free government treatment for drug dependency. The law sets out maximum "personal use" amounts for drugs, also including LSD and methamphetamine. People detained with those quantities will no longer face criminal prosecution when the law goes into effect Friday. More»

US officials call accusations 'absurd'

(NEWSER) - Leftist Bolivian President Evo Morales has barred US federal drug agents from operating in his country after accusing them of "spying" and financing violent anti-government protest groups. He halted all Drug Enforcement Administration efforts to battle the cocaine trade in Bolivia, but stopped short of expelling agents. US officials called the accusations "absurd." Bolivia is the world's third largest supplier of cocaine. More»

Analyzing waste for illicit substances sheds light on use

(NEWSER) - Across the world, raw sewage is being analyzed for clues to illegal drug use. Environmental scientists are testing waste from US and European cities to gather data, which reveals everything from what's popular to which days see the greatest use of which substances. "Every sample has one illicit drug or another, regardless of location," a chemist tells the LA Times. More»

(NEWSER) - It's the biggest cocaine seizure on the high seas and the second biggest bust in US history: The Coast Guard boarded a Panamanian freighter and discovered, inside cargo containers on deck, 21 tons of cocaine with a street value of $300 Million. "It was fast and furious," says Joseph Evans, DEA attache in Panama. More»