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October 12, 2008 10:29:38 PM CDT

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Stories related to: drug war

Stories

16 Stories

  • August 2008

    • Drug Crime Looms Over Everyday Life in Mexico

      New York Times  |  Aug 31, 08 1:38 PM CDT

      Drug Crime Looms Over Everyday Life in Mexico

      (Newser) - The effects of the wave of violent drug crime in Mexico--one paper puts this year’s related deaths at 2,682--have seeped into everyday life in the once-pacific country, the New York Times reports. “You have to be more careful with everything these days,” says a watchdog. Some are thinking twice about going to local restaurants, while others take measures like bulletproofing their cars. More »

      Tags

      Mexico  • drug trafficking  • drug cartel  • drug war

    • Mexican Drug Wars Spread to Touristy Yucatan

      Los Angeles Times  |  Aug 30, 08 12:38 PM CDT

      Mexican Drug Wars Spread to Touristy Yucatan

      (Newser) - As drug violence soars in Mexico, casualties are spreading to the Yucatan peninsula, a major tourist destination and spring break hot spot. Twelve decapitated bodies were found near the popular ruins of Chichen Itza this week, the Los Angeles Times reports. That's because a government crackdown has heightened “a kind of civil war among drug cartels,” said a drug-trafficking expert. And that violence is spilling over from the usual frontlines along the US border. More »

      Tags

      Mexico  • military  • police  • violence  • drug trafficking  • Felipe Calderon  • drug cartel  • drug war  • Yucatan Peninsula

    • Tampa Drug Bust Nets 41 Arrests

      Tampa Tribune  |  Aug 13, 08 1:50 PM CDT

      Tampa Drug Bust Nets 41 Arrests

      (Newser) - Police surveillance at a Tampa apartment complex resulted in 41 drug-related arrests, more than investigators expected, the Tampa Tribune reports. "I figured it would be four or five people," one deputy remarked. The bust turned up 67.7 grams of crack cocaine, 466.7 grams of marijuana, and $6,064 in cash. Five more warrants have been issued in connection with the case. More »

      Tags

      Florida  • marijuana  • drug trafficking  • drug war  • crack cocaine  • Tampa  • bust

    • 1.5 Tons of Pot Seized in Florida

      St. Petersburg Times  |  Aug 8, 08 10:12 AM CDT

      1.5 Tons of Pot Seized in Florida

      (Newser) - Police have seized a record 1.5 tons of marijuana in Florida's Hillsborough County, the St. Petersburg Times reports. The drugs carry an estimated street value of $13 million, making the bust the county's largest to date. Raids on area homes resulted in 62 arrests, and authorities say more will follow. More »

      Tags

      Florida  • marijuana  • arrest  • drug war  • bust

    • Paper Money Often Has Traces of Cocaine

      LiveScience  |  Aug 5, 08 6:50 PM CDT

      Paper Money Often Has Traces of Cocaine

      (Newser) - Chances are, you're carrying cocaine in your wallet. Trace amounts of it, anyway. A new Spanish study finds that paper money around the world is often contaminated with cocaine, LiveScience reports. Though concentrations vary by year and city, US bills had an average of up to 28.8 micrograms of cocaine on them—with some bills topping 1,300 micrograms. In Europe, Spain’s money is the most contaminated, with an average of 155 micrograms. By contrast, it's virtually nonexistent in Ireland. More »

      Tags

      European Union  • money  • Spain  • US dollar  • cocaine  • drug use  • drug war

  • July 2008

    • 'For Hire: Pro Hitman'—Mexico Investigates Killer Online Ads

      BBC  |  Jul 13, 08 10:01 AM CDT

      'For Hire: Pro Hitman'—Mexico Investigates Killer Online Ads

      (Newser) - Mexican authorities are investigating a slew of online ads offering the services of a professional killer. The ads may be fake, but police are taking no chances. A recent outbreak of hitmen amidst a raging drug war has contributed to the more than 1,400 murders in Mexico this year, including some 400 police officers and public officials. More »

      Tags

      Internet  • Mexico  • drug war  • online ads  • hitman

    • Where Does All That Seized Money Go?

      Economist  |  Jul 13, 08 5:42 AM CDT

      Where Does All That Seized Money Go?

      (Newser) - What would you do with a few million in drug money? Last year, state and federal authorities seized about $2 billion from Mexican smugglers. The feds have to put any seized money into a dedicated fund, but the rules are looser for states. In Texas and Georgia, for example, sheriffs and district attorneys get to keep any seized loot for their departments. The Economist takes a look at the issue and the sometimes iffy purchases that result. More »

      Tags

      Texas  • crime  • police  • drug cartel  • War on Drugs  • drug war  • drug cartels

  • June 2008

    • Mexican Troops Accused in Drug War Deaths

      Time  |  Jun 29, 08 9:42 PM CDT

      Mexican Troops Accused in Drug War Deaths

      (Newser) - Mexicans increasingly accuse state troops of beating and murdering innocents on their mission to curb violent drug cartels, Time reports. Since the state assigned 25,000 soldiers to fight drug-runners 2 years ago, troops have killed at least 13 unarmed people—while traffickers have added 1,800 more to the tally. "These soldiers are idiots," a witness to a shooting said. "What protection do they give us?" More »

      Tags

      Congress  • Mexico  • civilian casualties  • drug trafficking  • Felipe Calderon  • drug cartel  • drug war  • drug dealing  • drug cartels  • drug dealer  • civilians

    • Fed Agents Gunned Down at Mexico City Restaurant

      CNN  |  Jun 27, 08 4:15 AM CDT

      Fed Agents Gunned Down at Mexico City Restaurant

      (Newser) - In a brazen display of Mexican drug cartel violence, two federal agents were shot dead in broad daylight as they dined in a Mexico City restaurant yesterday, CNN reports. The shooter then sped off in a black car. One victim was the nation's second-highest-ranking federal police officer and was in charge of programs to combat drug trafficking and smuggling. More »

      Tags

      murder  • Mexico  • drug cartel  • Mexico City  • drug war

    • In Mexico's Drug War, US Guns Fire Shots

      Portfolio  |  Jun 22, 08 4:31 PM CDT

      In Mexico's Drug War, US Guns Fire Shots

      (Newser) - When Mexican authorities seize a cache of weapons from a drug-cartel hitman, their first call is long distance: to the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Because, Portfolio reports, chances are any gun used in Mexico’s noxious drug war—which has left close to 10,000 dead since 2001—was made in the US and smuggled through the leaky border. More »

      Tags

      United States  • Mexico  • drug trafficking  • drug war  • border control  • ATF  • Sinaloa drug cartel

    • Mexican Drug Gangs Are Winning: Poll

      Reuters  |  Jun 2, 08 11:42 AM CDT

      Mexican Drug Gangs Are Winning: Poll

      (Newser) - A majority of Mexicans say violent drug gangs are thrashing President Felipe Calderon's government after nearly 500 people were slain in May—the highest number of killings since Calderon took office in December 2006, reports Reuters. Some 53% of Mexicans believe the gangs are beating the federal forces, while only 24% say the government is winning. More »

      Tags

      Mexico  • Felipe Calderon  • drug war

  • May 2008

    • US Navy Jet Buzzes Curacao, Venezuela Furious

      CNN  |  May 20, 08 3:19 AM CDT

      US Navy Jet Buzzes Curacao, Venezuela Furious

      (Newser) - A US Navy drug-patrol plane violated Venuzuelan airspace Saturday night, exacerbating  the  already-tense relationship between the two nations. The S-3 Viking, used to spot and attack drug-running ships, flew over the line near the island of Curacao, reports CNN. The pilot realized he made a navigational error, contacted a Venezuela tower to acknowledge that, and returned to international air space—but the Venezuelans are furious and insist the fly-over was intentional. More »

      Tags

      United Nations  • Venezuela  • Hugo Chavez  • US Navy  • drug war

  • April 2008
  • January 2008

    • Mexico Spiraling Out of Control

      Reuters  |  Jan 16, 08 5:56 PM CST

      Mexico Spiraling Out of Control

      (Newser) - The violent conflict between drug cartels and Mexico's government has the country perilously close to spinning out of control, writes Reuters' Bernd Debusmann. The battle for control of the drug trade that delivers the majority of the US’ cocaine and marijuana has produced a culture in which there is “widespread acceptance of insecurity as a way of life,” Debusmann says. More »

      Tags

      Mexico  • marijuana  • Felipe Calderon  • drug war

  • July 2007
  • May 2007

    • Mexico Deploys Soldiers to Fight Drug War

      Los Angeles Times  |  May 17, 07 8:08 AM CDT

      Mexico Deploys Soldiers to Fight Drug War

      (Newser) - In its battle against drug traffickers, the Mexican army fights not just the cartels but also a lethal combination of corruption, power vacuums, and even geography. Desertion rates are high, salaries low, and the assignment difficult if not impossible. The LA Times visits Apatzingan, a drug-war hotspot whose police chief was shot in an ambush this week and promptly resigned. More »

      Tags

      Mexico  • drugs  • drug trafficking  • Felipe Calderon  • drug war

16 Stories