https://www.scmp.com/rss/325337/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Britney Spears on Monday admitted to reckless driving involving alcohol, in a plea deal that means she will avoid jail. The “Toxic” singer was arrested in March after police spotted her driving erratically on a freeway in Ventura County, near Los Angeles. She was initially charged with DUI – driving under the influence – but under the plea deal confirmed on Monday she admitted a lesser charge of reckless driving involving alcohol, drugs or both. A court in Ventura sentenced the 44-year-old to 12... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352416/britney-spears-admits-reckless-driving-plea-deal-avoid-jail?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352416/britney-spears-admits-reckless-driving-plea-deal-avoid-jail?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 19:02:42 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft Hong Kong police have arrested a 44-year-old man for allegedly trafficking in more than HK$800,000 (US$102,110) of suspected heroin. The force said on Friday that officers from the Tuen Mun district anti-triad unit were conducting an operation at around 9.50am the day before, when they found a man acting suspiciously outside a flat on Yan Po Road. After stopping the man for questioning, officers found about 300 grams (10.6oz) of suspected heroin in a reusable bag he was carrying. They also found... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3352154/man-arrested-hong-kong-after-police-seized-hk800000-worth-suspected-heroin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3352154/man-arrested-hong-kong-after-police-seized-hk800000-worth-suspected-heroin?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 May 2026 09:41:19 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Mexico’s most powerful criminal enterprise, suffered another blow on Monday when the Mexican military captured one of its top leaders in the northwest of the country, two months after the cartel’s leader was killed. Audias Flores Silva, also known as “El Jardinero”, or The Gardener, was seen as a possible successor to the killed leader and the United States had a US$5 million reward out for information leading to his arrest. The CJNG regional commander was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3351654/mexico-captures-top-cartel-leader-el-jardinero-hiding-roadside-ditch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3351654/mexico-captures-top-cartel-leader-el-jardinero-hiding-roadside-ditch?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 05:13:06 +0000 Reuters Reuters A New York man on Monday pleaded guilty to ⁠taking part in ⁠the 2002 murder of ⁠pioneering hip-hop star Jam Master Jay of famed group Run-DMC as part of a dispute over a drug deal, according to federal prosecutors. Appearing in court in Brooklyn, Jay Bryant, 52, admitted to playing ‌a role in the fatal shooting of Jason Mizell, better known by his stage name Jam Master Jay, and faces up to 20 years in prison, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York said in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351623/man-pleads-guilty-2002-killing-run-dmcs-jam-master-jay?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351623/man-pleads-guilty-2002-killing-run-dmcs-jam-master-jay?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 20:04:45 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Twenty-two Sri Lankan monks returning from Thailand were arrested on Sunday at the main international airport with 110kg (242lbs) of powerful cannabis, officials said. A Sri Lanka Customs spokesman said the group, returning home after a four-day holiday in the Thai capital, had kush – a potent, plant-based strain of cannabis – hidden in their luggage. “Each carried about five kilos of the narcotic concealed within false walls in their luggage,” the spokesman said, adding that the monks had been... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3351537/sri-lanka-arrests-22-monks-us35-million-worth-cannabis-record-haul?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3351537/sri-lanka-arrests-22-monks-us35-million-worth-cannabis-record-haul?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 06:46:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The death toll ⁠from an explosives ⁠attack on a highway ⁠in southwestern Colombia rose to 20 on Sunday, authorities said, as the government blamed a dissident faction of the former FARC guerrilla ‌group for the bombing. The attack happened on Saturday when an explosive device was detonated on a bus traveling along the Pan-American Highway in the municipality of Cajibio. So far, 15 women and five men are among the victims, according to Octavio Guzman, governor of the region of Cauca. He wrote on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3351446/explosive-device-kills-13-and-injures-38-bus-colombia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3351446/explosive-device-kills-13-and-injures-38-bus-colombia?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:02:48 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Food and Drug Administration said on Friday it will offer ultra-fast review to three psychedelic drugs being developed to treat mental health conditions, including depression, the latest indication of the Trump administration’s commitment to the experimental treatment approach. President Donald Trump signed an executive order last weekend directing the FDA and other federal agencies to speed access and loosen restrictions on psychedelics, a class of hallucinogenic drugs which remain illegal... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351373/us-fda-plans-ultra-fast-review-3-psychedelic-drugs-after-trump-directive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351373/us-fda-plans-ultra-fast-review-3-psychedelic-drugs-after-trump-directive?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2026 14:28:37 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak Hong Kong is considered one of the safest cities in the world today – but it has not always been so. There have been periods throughout contemporary history when its streets were ruled and terrorised by gangs. In this series, we look at the history of Hong Kong’s major triad societies and how they shaped the underworld of organised crime and inspired the city’s pop culture. Most well-established Hong Kong triads have auspicious names: Sun Yee On literally means “new, righteousness, peace”, while... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3350992/inside-14k-how-hong-kong-triad-grew-global-crime-syndicate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3350992/inside-14k-how-hong-kong-triad-grew-global-crime-syndicate?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2026 04:45:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US Department of Justice is reclassifying FDA-approved and state-licensed marijuana as a less dangerous drug, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Thursday. The announcement does not legalise marijuana across the United States. In a post on X, Blanche said the Justice Department was “immediately rescheduling FDA-approved marijuana and state-licensed marijuana from Schedule I to ⁠Schedule III”. The department is also initiating an expedited hearing to consider the broader rescheduling... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351203/trump-reclassifies-state-licensed-medical-marijuana-less-dangerous-drug?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351203/trump-reclassifies-state-licensed-medical-marijuana-less-dangerous-drug?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:24:27 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The death of US officials following an operation to dismantle a drug lab in northern Mexico is escalating tensions with Washington, as President Claudia Sheinbaum insists her government was unaware of their involvement. At a news conference, Sheinbaum said Mexican security officials involved in the operation were never told about the presence of foreigners, which she described as a clear breach of security protocols. A person familiar with the matter confirmed that the two US nationals worked... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3351079/deaths-cia-agents-mexico-spark-sovereignty-row-white-house?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3351079/deaths-cia-agents-mexico-spark-sovereignty-row-white-house?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2026 03:33:12 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles Families of victims of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs hailed as a “vindication” on Wednesday the International Criminal Court Appeals Chamber’s refusal to throw out the crimes against humanity case against him. Duterte has been held by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague since March 2025 over killings linked to his anti-drugs campaign while he was in office. His lawyers argued that the court had no authority to try him because the Philippines... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3351050/icc-chamber-rules-case-against-rodrigo-dutertes-war-drugs-killings-proceed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3351050/icc-chamber-rules-case-against-rodrigo-dutertes-war-drugs-killings-proceed?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:37:40 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The United Nations voiced alarm on Wednesday at the number of people being executed in Singapore for drug-related offences, saying it was incompatible with human dignity. UN rights chief Volker Turk said there had been a general shift away from the use of capital punishment in Asia, and Singapore was one of only a few countries imposing the death penalty for drug-related crimes not involving intentional killing. The death penalty is mandatory in Singapore for drug trafficking above certain... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3351031/un-alarmed-singapore-executions-drug-related-offences?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3351031/un-alarmed-singapore-executions-drug-related-offences?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:21:43 +0000 Julie Zhang Julie Zhang The State Council, China’s cabinet, has published guidelines on innovative drug pricing that a bank analyst has described as the “most significant” in a decade, as they aim to reward drug innovation and ease pricing tension for domestic and multinational pharmaceutical companies. The framework document published this month said patented innovative drugs would be supported through value-based pricing, while the prices of generic drugs would be driven down through market competition and... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3350956/multinational-pharmaceutical-companies-benefit-new-china-guidelines-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3350956/multinational-pharmaceutical-companies-benefit-new-china-guidelines-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 05:00:09 +0000 Lam Ka-sing Lam Ka-sing Hong Kong authorities have arrested five men at registered pharmacies and seized thousands of unregistered anti-obesity medicines and boxes of slimming injections, vowing to launch more joint operations to clamp down on illegal sales across the city. The Department of Health said on Monday evening that an enforcement operation with the police last Friday at a registered pharmacy in Sha Tin district led to four arrests and the seizure of over 400 tablets of clonazepam, more than 2,700 tablets of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3350832/5-arrested-hong-kong-pharmacies-thousands-anti-obesity-and-dangerous-drugs-seized?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3350832/5-arrested-hong-kong-pharmacies-thousands-anti-obesity-and-dangerous-drugs-seized?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 05:19:26 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump on Saturday directed his administration to speed up reviews of certain psychedelic drugs, including ibogaine, which recently has been embraced by combat veterans and conservative lawmakers despite having serious safety risks. Ibogaine is banned under the federal government’s most restrictive category for illegal, high-risk drugs. But the administration is taking steps to ease access to psychedelics that Trump said were already designated as potential breakthroughs by... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350593/trump-signs-order-speed-review-psychedelics-including-controversial-drug-ibogaine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350593/trump-signs-order-speed-review-psychedelics-including-controversial-drug-ibogaine?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:41:05 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The US military said on Tuesday that four people had been killed in a strike on another alleged drug-trafficking boat, the fourth such deadly attack in as many days. US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said in a post on X that the strike – just as the previous three – occurred in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It posted aerial video on social media showing a vessel bobbing in the water before being struck by a projectile and exploding. The four new fatalities raise the total death toll of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350107/us-military-says-4-killed-fourth-drug-boat-strike-week?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350107/us-military-says-4-killed-fourth-drug-boat-strike-week?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 02:13:44 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times Buying illegal drugs has become as easy as ordering a pizza in South Korea – especially for teens and young adults who have grown up in the digital age – as drug trafficking has increasingly moved online. On platforms like Telegram and the dark web, users familiar with drug-related slang can easily locate dealers. Consumers simply place an order, pay with bitcoin, and, once the transaction is complete, receive a message with instructions on where to collect their purchase. Pickup locations are... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3349615/south-korean-youth-hooked-easy-access-drugs-online?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3349615/south-korean-youth-hooked-easy-access-drugs-online?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 05:17:22 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles The International Criminal Court (ICC) is expected to issue a written decision by April 28 on whether former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte will stand trial on charges of crimes against humanity over his war on drugs. However, even if the judges decide to proceed with the trial, observers predict that the proceedings will progress at a “glacial pace”, potentially taking years to reach a ruling. Duterte, who governed the Philippines from 2016 to 2022, was surrendered to the ICC in March... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3349504/will-philippine-ex-president-duterte-stand-trial-icc-and-how-long?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3349504/will-philippine-ex-president-duterte-stand-trial-icc-and-how-long?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 09:30:08 +0000 Kamala Thiagarajan Kamala Thiagarajan As Asia grappled with the impact of the Iran war, a major pharmaceutical milestone quietly made the headlines. On March 20, the patent for semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy drugs, expired in several countries, crucially India and China – two countries renowned for their production of generic drugs, which are drugs with the same active ingredient as the branded original but typically sold at much lower prices. Ozempic, first approved in 2017 by the US Food... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3349193/asias-flood-cheap-ozempic-generics-opens-gates-weight-loss-abuse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3349193/asias-flood-cheap-ozempic-generics-opens-gates-weight-loss-abuse?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 21:30:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A US federal judge on Wednesday handed down a sentence of 15 years in prison to a woman who pleaded guilty to selling actor Matthew Perry the ketamine that killed him in 2023. “You’re going to have to show some epic resilience,” Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett said to Jasveen Sangha, echoing the defendant’s words earlier in the hearing about her self-improvement. Citing the unique role Sangha admitted to playing in Perry’s death and her broader drug-dealing business, the judge gave the 42-year-old... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349433/ketamine-queen-gets-15-years-jail-selling-matthew-perry-drugs-killed-him?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349433/ketamine-queen-gets-15-years-jail-selling-matthew-perry-drugs-killed-him?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 18:48:02 +0000 Reuters Reuters Soon-to-be brides and grooms seeking ⁠short cuts to shed pounds before the big day have become the latest consumer target ⁠for weight-loss drugs in India. New Delhi wellness clinic Klarity Skin Clinic touts a “Mounjaro bride” package, while other clinics have woven weight-loss injections into “pre-wedding” transformation packages typically focused on skin treatments and hairstyle makeovers. In a social media video, Klarity offers “guided nutrition, Mounjaro and smart workouts” to prepare brides... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3349011/here-comes-mounjaro-bride-indian-women-turn-weight-loss-drug-wedding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3349011/here-comes-mounjaro-bride-indian-women-turn-weight-loss-drug-wedding?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 02:25:11 +0000 Ng Kang-chung Ng Kang-chung Hong Kong customs officers seized 6.5kg of suspected drugs worth about HK$3.4 million (US$433,800) and arrested two men in separate cases earlier this week. The Customs and Excise Department said on Friday the first arrest occurred two days earlier at Hong Kong International Airport when officers found 3.1kg (6.8lbs) of suspected ketamine in the baggage of a man, 43, who arrived from Bangkok. The department said the suspected drugs were concealed inside food packaging in the baggage. In the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348994/hong-kong-customs-seizes-hk34-million-worth-suspected-drugs-arrests-2-men?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348994/hong-kong-customs-seizes-hk34-million-worth-suspected-drugs-arrests-2-men?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 13:45:31 +0000 Vanessa Cai Vanessa Cai A Chinese fugitive suspected of drug-related crimes has been repatriated from the United States and handed to police in China, the first such case in years, according to state media. The suspect was returned to China by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) via cooperation channels between the two countries, based on information provided by Chinese narcotics control authorities, state news agency Xinhua reported on Friday, citing the Ministry of Public Security. The Chinese national,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348926/beijing-hails-us-cooperation-ice-returns-suspected-drug-smuggler-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348926/beijing-hails-us-cooperation-ice-returns-suspected-drug-smuggler-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 08:00:11 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press After crashing his SUV last week in Florida, Tiger Woods took out his phone and told a deputy, “I was just talking to the president,” according to body camera footage released Thursday showing Woods’ arrest on a DUI charge. The phone conversation was not captured on video, but Woods could be heard saying, “Thank you so much,” as he hung up and the deputy approached. It was not clear if Woods was referring to US President Donald Trump, whose former daughter-in-law, Vanessa Trump, is dating... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348863/after-car-crash-tiger-woods-told-officer-he-was-talking-president?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348863/after-car-crash-tiger-woods-told-officer-he-was-talking-president?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 23:33:45 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A Scottish crime boss is to be deported to Spain on Wednesday after he was arrested on the Indonesian resort island of Bali in connection with large-scale drug trafficking and money laundering, authorities said. The 45-year-old, identified as Steven Lyons, was taken into custody by immigration officers at Ngurah Rai International Airport on Saturday on arrival from Singapore, Untung Widiyatmoko, head of Indonesia’s branch of Interpol, said on Tuesday. The immigration system had flagged him as... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348595/scottish-man-linked-gang-arrested-indonesias-bali-after-interpol-issues-red-alert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348595/scottish-man-linked-gang-arrested-indonesias-bali-after-interpol-issues-red-alert?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 01:08:04 +0000 Daniel Ren Daniel Ren The cross-border outlicensing activities of Chinese biotech firms reached a record transaction value of US$60 billion in the first quarter of 2026, driven by multinational pharmaceutical companies’ growing appetite for the country’s promising drug candidates. The deal value represented a 73 per cent jump from the same period a year earlier, and accounted for nearly half of the total US$135.7 billion worth of agreements signed throughout 2025, the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA)... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3348295/china-biotech-deals-hit-record-innovative-drugs-draw-interest-multinationals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3348295/china-biotech-deals-hit-record-innovative-drugs-draw-interest-multinationals?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 11:26:21 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong A Philippine prison was supposed to contain Park Wang-yeol. Instead, according to South Korean investigators, it became his office from which an alleged drug trafficking empire was run, complete with a “VIP” lifestyle, a Telegram alias and a girlfriend summoned to his cell on demand. On Wednesday, after nine years of failed extradition attempts, that arrangement finally came to an end. Bearded, silent and dressed in casual clothing, the 48-year-old arrived at Incheon International Airport near... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3347820/south-korean-sugar-cane-killer-extradited-philippines-over-drug-empire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3347820/south-korean-sugar-cane-killer-extradited-philippines-over-drug-empire?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 06:29:22 +0000 Lo Hoi-ying Lo Hoi-ying Hong Kong’s Security Bureau has apologised for an advertising blunder in its anti-drug campaign, after a banner in a railway station appeared to encourage the use of illegal substances when viewed from certain angles. The bureau addressed the issue in a social media post on Friday, a day after an internet user circulated a photo of the poorly placed advert at Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station. The banner was part of the government’s latest anti-drug campaign, featuring one of Hong Kong’s “Four Heavenly... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347331/red-faces-bureau-after-anti-drug-advert-sends-opposite-message?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347331/red-faces-bureau-after-anti-drug-advert-sends-opposite-message?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 10:03:46 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Grammy-nominated rapper Afroman won a defamation lawsuit filed by seven Ohio sheriff’s deputies who sued him over music videos in which he used home security footage to mock their raid of his home. “We did it, America! Yeah, we did it! Freedom of speech! Right on! Right on!” the 51-year-old rapper, born Joseph Foreman, shouted outside the courthouse after the Wednesday evening verdict. He later posted the clip to social media. The case tested the limits of parody and the license artists can take... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347194/us-rapper-afroman-celebrates-after-court-protects-his-right-mock-police?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347194/us-rapper-afroman-celebrates-after-court-protects-his-right-mock-police?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 12:04:10 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin Beijing’s global pharmaceutical push is following a playbook seen in rare earths, semiconductors and electric vehicles, US lawmakers said on Wednesday, as concerns grow over the United States’ reliance on Chinese drug ingredients. “China is cornering the market on our medicines – from the supply of generic drugs that Americans depend on every day, to the cutting-edge biotech pipeline that will determine who leads medicine in the years and decades ahead,” said John Moolenaar, the chair of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347087/fears-grow-over-us-drug-supplys-rising-dependence-chinese-ingredients?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347087/fears-grow-over-us-drug-supplys-rising-dependence-chinese-ingredients?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 21:33:43 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A Utah woman was convicted on Monday of aggravated murder after poisoning her husband with fentanyl and self-publishing a children’s book about coping with grief. Prosecutors said Kouri Richins slipped five times the lethal dose of the synthetic opioid into a cocktail that her husband Eric Richins drank in March 2022 at their home outside the affluent ski town of Park City. They said she was US$4.5 million in debt and falsely believed that when her husband died, she would inherit his estate... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346836/us-grief-author-convicted-murdering-husband-lethal-fentanyl-dose?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346836/us-grief-author-convicted-murdering-husband-lethal-fentanyl-dose?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 04:36:46 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg An alleged cocaine boss with a US$2 million bounty on his head was captured by Bolivian forces as the Andean nation renews cooperation with the US after decades of hostility. Dozens of antinarcotics police raided two houses in Santa Cruz in the early hours of Friday, with snipers positioned on nearby rooftops. Their target, Uruguayan citizen Sebastian Enrique Marset Cabrera, was immediately put on a plane to be transferred to the US by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Bolivia’s President... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3346567/cartel-boss-us-most-wanted-list-captured-bolivia-raid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3346567/cartel-boss-us-most-wanted-list-captured-bolivia-raid?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 19:43:26 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Three brothers, including two of America’s most successful luxury real estate brokers, were convicted of sex trafficking charges on Monday after a five-week trial over accusations that they used drugs and force to rape scores of women they had dazzled with their wealth and opulent lifestyle. The verdict came after 11 women testified they were sexually assaulted by one or more of the brothers: twins Oren and Alon Alexander, 38, and Tal Alexander, 39. All three of the men shook their heads as the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346030/wealth-drugs-and-rape-us-luxury-real-estate-stars-convicted-sex-trafficking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346030/wealth-drugs-and-rape-us-luxury-real-estate-stars-convicted-sex-trafficking?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 02:23:14 +0000 Reuters Reuters The United States and China traded barbs at a ⁠UN drugs meeting on ⁠Monday, with Washington accusing Beijing of ⁠failing to stop sales of precursor chemicals for fentanyl and China dismissing the allegation as false while calling the US irresponsible. The exchange, delivered in separate statements at the UN’s annual Commission on Narcotic Drugs meeting in Vienna, underscored tensions ‌between the two countries over illicit drugs and tariffs, with their leaders due to meet in China at the end of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346020/us-and-china-clash-over-fentanyl-and-tariffs-global-drugs-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346020/us-and-china-clash-over-fentanyl-and-tariffs-global-drugs-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 17:00:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump on Saturday urged Latin American nations to use military power against the “cancer” of drug cartels and offered to support them with US missile strikes targeting narco kingpins. Trump, currently waging a war with Iran, laid out a muscular position for advancing Washington’s interests in the western hemisphere, pronouncing that communist-led Cuba was “in its last moments of life” and advocating tough action by allies against organised crime blighting the region. He... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345839/trump-offers-latin-american-leaders-us-missile-strikes-hit-drug-cartels?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3345839/trump-offers-latin-american-leaders-us-missile-strikes-hit-drug-cartels?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 17:46:34 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall A record number of people under the age of 20 in Japan were arrested for cannabis offences last year, with experts on social norms attributing the sharp rise to growing despair about the future and the influence of celebrities known to use drugs. According to the National Police Agency (NPA), 1,373 people under the age of 20 were arrested for cannabis offences in Japan in 2025, an increase of more than a fifth from the previous year. The figure is the highest since age-specific drug offence data... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3345251/japans-under-20s-are-getting-high-never-social-morals-are-dying?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3345251/japans-under-20s-are-getting-high-never-social-morals-are-dying?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 00:00:09 +0000 Alan Robles Alan Robles As judges in The Hague consider whether former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s crimes against humanity case should proceed to trial, a parallel battle over the narrative has taken hold online. Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have accused Duterte of overseeing a campaign of extrajudicial killings linked to his signature “war on drugs”. Rights groups say the campaign left thousands dead during his 2016-2022 presidency, allegations he has repeatedly denied. Analysts... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3345198/allies-philippines-duterte-step-online-attacks-drug-war-trial-looms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3345198/allies-philippines-duterte-step-online-attacks-drug-war-trial-looms?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 06:00:10 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung This series is based on our reporting on TCM: its history, treatments and growing acceptance around the world. This is the seventh instalment. In the world of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), few remedies carry the legendary status – or the hefty price tag – of Angong Niuhuang Wan, often referred to as the “miracle pill”. The old formula, consisting of 11 herbs and minerals, has long been revered as a top-grade emergency medicine, historically used to treat those who have had a stroke or may... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344680/how-tcms-miracle-pill-used-treat-strokes-experts-urge-caution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3344680/how-tcms-miracle-pill-used-treat-strokes-experts-urge-caution?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 23:15:08 +0000 Aisyah Llewellyn Aisyah Llewellyn When 22-year-old Fandi Ramadhan phoned home from detention last May, he told his mother he had no idea drugs were aboard the ship he had just started working on as an engine-room oiler. Indonesian prosecutors, however, allege he knew about the illicit cargo and are now seeking the death penalty for him and five other crew members of the Thai-flagged vessel Sea Dragon, after authorities said they found nearly two tonnes of methamphetamines on board in what officials called the largest drug... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3344830/indonesias-bid-execute-6-cargo-ship-crew-drug-case-sparks-liability-debate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3344830/indonesias-bid-execute-6-cargo-ship-crew-drug-case-sparks-liability-debate?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 05:48:13 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A girlfriend of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, the powerful leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel who was killed by the Mexican military, was key to finding him in Tapalpa, a picturesque village of holiday homes in western Mexico. The 59-year-old Oseguera, nicknamed “El Mencho”, was wounded in a clash with soldiers on Sunday and died while being airlifted to hospital. The operation was launched when Mexican military intelligence agents, supported by the US military’s Northern Command, learned... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3344409/how-rendezvous-girlfriend-led-violent-end-mexicos-most-wanted-drug-kingpin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3344409/how-rendezvous-girlfriend-led-violent-end-mexicos-most-wanted-drug-kingpin?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 04:23:29 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A day after the Mexican army killed the country’s most powerful drug lord, the picturesque town where it happened was a study in contrasts. Tourist shops in Tapalpa were open Monday, and workers were on the job. But gunshots also rang out, and in the street was a dead man lying beside a bullet-pocked vehicle. Meanwhile, heavily armed Mexican security forces kept up their battle with cartel gunmen following the killing that sparked a surge in violence and put the country on edge. Cartel fighters... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3344389/73-people-died-attempt-capture-mexican-cartel-leader-and-its-violent-aftermath-officials?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3344389/73-people-died-attempt-capture-mexican-cartel-leader-and-its-violent-aftermath-officials?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 23:57:49 +0000 Reuters Reuters Former Philippine president Rodrigo ⁠Duterte was “pivotal” in the ⁠murder of thousands of people during his ⁠reign, prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) said on Monday, as they pushed for his trial to go ahead. The prosecutors at the Hague-based war crimes court have charged Duterte with three counts of murder as a crime against humanity, involving dozens of ‌victims that accusers say were only a fraction of the real death toll in his clampdown on alleged drug users and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344365/duterte-was-pivotal-murder-thousands-icc-prosecutors-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344365/duterte-was-pivotal-murder-thousands-icc-prosecutors-say?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 12:02:13 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Mexican army killed the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho”, on Sunday, decapitating what had become Mexico’s most powerful drug cartel and thrusting swaths of the nation into chaos. The drug lord was the Mexican government’s biggest prize yet to show the Trump administration in its efforts to crack down on the cartels, and his death was met with a forceful reaction from the cartel, known by its Spanish initials CJNG. Cars burned out by... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3344279/mexican-army-kills-leader-jalisco-new-generation-cartel-official-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3344279/mexican-army-kills-leader-jalisco-new-generation-cartel-official-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 18:43:54 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof The vapes used to be obvious. Bright displays of flavoured liquid, a shop just down the road, a transaction as unremarkable as buying shampoo. Batrisyia, 28, remembers how easy it was. Those days are gone. Or rather, in Malaysia at least, the trade has moved under the table. “It’s definitely less open now,” said Batrisyia, a Johor native who asked to be identified by a pseudonym for fear of backlash. “You don’t see big vape displays like before, and we can’t buy online any more. But it hasn’t... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3344146/malaysias-vape-ban-plan-leaves-14-million-users-regulatory-limbo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3344146/malaysias-vape-ban-plan-leaves-14-million-users-regulatory-limbo?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Mary Ann Pajo watched quietly as cemetery workers opened her son’s tomb in Manila this week and removed his body for examination by a forensic pathologist. Accused of dealing drugs, 30-year-old Joewarski Pajo was shot dead while playing a game on his phone, one of thousands of extrajudicial killings alleged to have taken place under former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte. A hearing begins at the International Criminal Court on Monday that will determine whether Duterte will stand trial over... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344173/families-philippine-drug-war-victims-seek-icc-justice-duterte-trial-looms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344173/families-philippine-drug-war-victims-seek-icc-justice-duterte-trial-looms?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 13:11:47 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Thai police donned a lion dance costume during this week’s Lunar New Year festivities to arrest a suspect accused of stealing about US$64,000 worth of Buddhist artefacts, police said Thursday. Officers dressed as a red-and-yellow lion made the arrest on Wednesday evening after receiving a report from a police superintendent earlier this month that his home in the suburbs of the capital, Bangkok, had been broken into. Bangkok police said the reported break-in involved “numerous Buddhist objects... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344026/thai-police-don-lion-dance-costume-pounce-unsuspecting-burglar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344026/thai-police-don-lion-dance-costume-pounce-unsuspecting-burglar?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 11:52:03 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The US military said Tuesday that it carried out strikes on three boats accused of smuggling drugs in Latin American waters, killing 11 people in one of the deadliest days of the Trump administration’s months-long campaign against alleged traffickers. The series of strikes conducted Monday brought the death toll to at least 145 people since the administration began targeting those it calls “narcoterrorists” in small vessels since early September. Like most of the military’s statements on the 42... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3343855/11-killed-us-strikes-3-more-alleged-drug-boats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3343855/11-killed-us-strikes-3-more-alleged-drug-boats?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 23:32:54 +0000 Matthew Cheng Matthew Cheng Hong Kong customs has arrested four people and seized HK$140 million (US$18 million) worth of slimming and cosmetic injections, along with erectile dysfunction pills, in a crackdown on smuggled illicit medicines. The suspects, aged between 26 and 61, comprise two mainland Chinese men and two local women, the Customs and Excise Department said on Monday. Investigations are ongoing, and the department has not ruled out further arrests. The department said that since stepping up enforcement in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3343754/hong-kong-customs-arrests-4-seizes-hk140-million-smuggled-illicit-medicines?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3343754/hong-kong-customs-arrests-4-seizes-hk140-million-smuggled-illicit-medicines?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Feb 2026 10:53:12 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Two sitting Philippine senators have been identified as “co-perpetrators” in former president Rodrigo Duterte’s crimes against humanity trial at the International Criminal Court, documents released by prosecutors show. Senators Ronald Dela Rosa and Christopher Go are among eight current and former officials named in a document posted to the court’s website on Friday. ICC prosecutors have charged Duterte with three counts of crimes against humanity, alleging his involvement in at least 76 murders... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3343572/philippine-senators-go-dela-rosa-helped-duterte-wage-drug-war-icc-prosecutors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3343572/philippine-senators-go-dela-rosa-helped-duterte-wage-drug-war-icc-prosecutors?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 07:05:06 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The US military said on Friday it killed three alleged drug traffickers in a strike on a boat in the Caribbean. The attack raises the death toll from the Trump administration’s strikes on alleged drug boats to 133 people in at least 38 attacks carried out since early September in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. “Three narcoterrorists were killed during this action. No US military forces were harmed,” US Southern Command said in a statement on social media. A video linked to the post... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343553/3-dead-us-launches-new-strike-suspected-drug-boat-caribbean?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343553/3-dead-us-launches-new-strike-suspected-drug-boat-caribbean?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 02:26:44 +0000