https://www.scmp.com/rss/522587/feed The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a United States federal law enforcement agency, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. Established in 1973, it operates under the U.S. Department of Justice, primarily tasked with combating illicit drug trafficking and distribution. Its core mission involves enforcing controlled substances laws, investigating major violators domestically and internationally, and coordinating with global law enforcement. The DEA also focuses on regulating controlled... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com 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 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 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump said on Monday he is considering an executive order to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug - a decision that could reshape the cannabis industry, ease criminal penalties and unlock billions in research funding. The shift would represent one of the most significant federal changes to marijuana policy in decades, reducing oversight to the level of common prescription drugs and potentially opening doors long closed to banks and investors. “We are looking at that... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3336554/trump-considering-order-loosen-federal-marijuana-restrictions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3336554/trump-considering-order-loosen-federal-marijuana-restrictions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 23:30:12 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan US President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order (EO) designating illicit fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid driving the US overdose crisis, as a weapon of mass destruction. The EO issued by the White House asserted that “illicit fentanyl is closer to a chemical weapon than a narcotic” due to its extreme potency. “Two milligrams, an almost undetectable trace amount equivalent to 10 to 15 grains of table salt, constitutes a lethal dose,” it said. The order highlights the national... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3336550/no-bomb-does-what-doing-trump-calls-fentanyl-weapon-mass-destruction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3336550/no-bomb-does-what-doing-trump-calls-fentanyl-weapon-mass-destruction?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 21:49:47 +0000 Igor Patrick,Robert Delaney Igor Patrick,Robert Delaney Lawmakers from both parties are warning that Chinese criminal groups have helped build what officials call a “Silk Road of crime”, a global network that launders Latin American cartel profits and supplies the chemicals used to make fentanyl bound for the United States. At a Senate hearing on Tuesday, members of the Caucus on International Narcotics Control said Chinese money brokers and Latin American cartels have merged their operations into a system that blurs the line between trade and... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3335821/us-senators-warn-china-cartel-links-forming-global-silk-road-crime?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3335821/us-senators-warn-china-cartel-links-forming-global-silk-road-crime?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Dec 2025 23:21:36 +0000 Rupert Stone Rupert Stone Much has been written about China’s alleged role in the US opioid crisis. Chemicals from Chinese suppliers have supposedly been used by Mexican cartels to produce fentanyl, which is then trafficked into the United States where it has fuelled a deadly overdose crisis. Successive US administrations have pressured Beijing to crack down on its chemical industry. China has taken repeated steps to regulate precursors, including most recently last month when it restricted 13 new chemicals at US... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3335067/americas-opioid-crisis-wont-be-solved-without-indias-help?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3335067/americas-opioid-crisis-wont-be-solved-without-indias-help?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Dec 2025 21:30:09 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk A Philippine police anti-narcotics team has been disbanded after a teenager accused several officers of raping and robbing her during what authorities later described as a failed drug operation in Cavite, a province south of Manila, triggering a series of arrests and high-level investigations. The Philippine National Police (PNP) said all 15 members of its Drug Enforcement Group – Special Operations Unit 4A were relieved of duty after the Grade 9 student, identified publicly only as “Nena”,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3334073/philippine-anti-drug-unit-disbanded-after-teen-accuses-police-officers-rape-robbery?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3334073/philippine-anti-drug-unit-disbanded-after-teen-accuses-police-officers-rape-robbery?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Nov 2025 08:06:50 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Bolivia’s new pro-business president-elect vowed on Monday to renew diplomatic ties with Washington as the South American country veered right after nearly two decades under socialist rule blamed by many for its myriad economic woes. Rodrigo Paz, a 58-year-old economist-turned senator, emerged victorious in a run-off election on Sunday, beating a fellow right-wing rival after a first voting round in August saw the socialist MAS party founded by ex-leader Evo Morales ousted from the race. In his... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3329719/bolivias-president-elect-says-will-resume-ties-us-after-nearly-two-decades?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3329719/bolivias-president-elect-says-will-resume-ties-us-after-nearly-two-decades?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Oct 2025 18:55:47 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen China, working with the United States and Thailand, has seized a record haul of illegal drugs near a disputed South China Sea reef, state media said on Friday. The Chinese anti-drug agency and the China Coast Guard, acting on a tip-off from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Royal Thai Police, intercepted the vessel Ji Sheng around 130 nautical miles (240km) southwest of Scarborough Shoal, known as Huangyan Island in China, People’s Daily reported. The operation took place... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3328612/china-us-and-thailand-seize-record-meth-haul-near-disputed-south-china-sea-reef?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3328612/china-us-and-thailand-seize-record-meth-haul-near-disputed-south-china-sea-reef?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Oct 2025 00:00:18 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Chinese company executive has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for trafficking in chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl, the US Justice Department said on Friday. Wang Qingzhou, 37, principal executive of Amarvel Biotech, a company based in Wuhan, and Chen Yiyi, 33, the firm’s marketing manager, were convicted in New York in February of fentanyl precusor importation and money laundering. District Judge Paul Gardephe sentenced Wang to 25 years in prison on Friday. Chen was sentenced to 15... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3326226/chinese-exec-gets-25-years-jail-us-trafficking-fentanyl-ingredients?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3326226/chinese-exec-gets-25-years-jail-us-trafficking-fentanyl-ingredients?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Sep 2025 23:36:18 +0000 Alice Li,Kandy Wong Alice Li,Kandy Wong The trafficking of materials to make the drug fentanyl – the issue cited by the US in its initial tariff escalation against China in March – is set to be back in focus for future talks, analysts said, after two previous rounds did not appear to broach the subject. Speculation over the drug’s presence in future negotiations was fuelled by US President Donald Trump’s remarks on the topic Wednesday, making reference to China’s “big steps” – including the threat of the death penalty for smugglers –... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3318620/fentanyl-likely-us-china-trade-agenda-after-long-absence-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3318620/fentanyl-likely-us-china-trade-agenda-after-long-absence-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Jul 2025 22:00:10 +0000 Erika Na Erika Na We are halfway through 2025 and despite a few letdowns, like Season 2 of The Last of Us – and who knows what the final season of Squid Game has in store for us on June 27 – there have been a number of great shows that have generated a lot of buzz. From heartfelt family dramas and tales of growing up to a dystopian workplace sci-fi thriller, here are five top shows that have gained global popularity and received critical acclaim across different platforms this year. 1. When Life Gives You... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3315937/5-most-popular-streaming-series-2025-severance-reacher-and-white-lotus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3315937/5-most-popular-streaming-series-2025-severance-reacher-and-white-lotus?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Jun 2025 10:15:07 +0000