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Drugs
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Drugs. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
A semi-submersible craft carrying cocaine that was intercepted off the Azores archipelago by Portuguese authorities. Photo: Forca Aerea Portuguesa via AFP
Spain

Spain busts cocaine trafficking ring that used ‘floating bases’ at sea

Spain seizes 10 tonnes of drugs and arrests 105 suspects, while Portugal intercepts a record haul from a ‘narco-sub’.

Crime

Ex-Olympian pleads not guilty to running billion-dollar drug empire

The Philippines

Duterte vs ICC: judges reject ‘unfit’ plea, set date for drug war case

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US-Venezuela conflict

US kills 2 in first known strike on alleged drug boat since Maduro’s capture

The attack left one survivor, and the coastguard has been notified to launch search and rescue operations.

Footage posted by US Southern Command on Friday shows a boat moving through the water before exploding in flames. Image: X/Southcom
Wellness

Weight rebound after stopping Ozempic, Wegovy? Not necessarily, new data says

New research suggests that many people who stop using GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic maintain their weight loss, countering previous studies.

Donald Trump

Diversify or die: Asian firms face trade uncertainty amid Trump’s Mexico threats

The president’s call for strikes against drug cartels in Mexico and Colombia will add to the cost of trading with the US, analysts say.

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Americas and the Caribbean

Guatemala declares 30-day state of emergency after gangs kill 8 police officers

The measure, pending approval by the opposition-led Congress, suspends assembly rights and allows arrests without a court order.

Inmates gather at a watch tower a Renovacion 1 prison as riots erupt in three Guatemalan prisons, with hostages taken, authorities said on Saturday. Photo: Reuters
Myanmar

Video | Police find village-sized meth labs in Myanmar jungle

Junta authorities said they made the discovery after regaining control of land previously run by rebel groups.

US-Venezuela conflict

Trump prevails in US Senate showdown over Venezuela war powers

A 51–50 vote kills war powers resolution after Trump pressure flips two key Republican defectors.

Mexico

Sheinbaum tells Trump US military intervention in Mexico ‘unnecessary’

Mexico’s president said she rejected Trump’s offer of sending the US military after the cartels in her country.

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US military personnel observe the border area of the United States and Mexico. Photo: Reuters
Malaysia

Malaysian man who used home labs to brew drug drinks worth US$246,000 arrested

The suspect was using residences to process and store drug-laced soft drinks with a street value of up to US$75 per bottle, police say.

KL police display drug laced drinks seized in a 2023 raid. Photo: The Star
Donald Trump

Trump says Colombia’s Petro to visit US, in U-turn from threats to diplomacy

Just days ago, Trump had issued a warning to the South American leader for criticising the US attack that removed Venezuela’s Maduro.

Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong customs seizes HK$18 million of suspected ketamine in baby car seats

Syndicate employed ‘ingenious’ methods to hide drugs in car seats shipped in two containers from Netherlands and Spain, officers say.

US-Venezuela conflict

Trump invites Colombia’s president to White House after threat of military strike

Invitation comes days after Trump accused Colombia’s Gustavo Petro of ‘making cocaine’ and warning of US intervention.

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US President Donald Trump has abruptly changed his tone about his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Malaysian rapper Namewee defies scandals to release Lunar New Year single

Namewee is still helping police in an investigation over the death of a Taiwanese influencer and faces a drug possession charge.

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Controversial Malaysian rapper Namewee has released his latest Lunar New Year song, “Type C Malaysia”. Photo: YouTube/Namewee
Made in China 2025

Meow or never: China’s pudgy pets spark race for weight-loss drugs

Fosun and Huadong biotech labs eye feline obesity drugs as owners weigh cuteness against health risks.

United States

As I see it | Monroe Doctrine 2.0 portends the end of the US empire

The eerie return of the 19th century foreign policy doctrine indicates a declining empire seeking to consolidate power in its own backyard.

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United States

Opinion | The US now owns more than just Venezuela’s oil

A hard lesson in foreign policy comes to mind: if you break it, you own it. America is now responsible for Venezuela’s failures, factions and future grievances.

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A woman reacts as government supporters gather, after US President Donald Trump said the US had struck Venezuela and captured its President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela, on January 3. Photo: Reuters
Thailand

Thailand tightens cannabis sales as dispensaries face closure ahead of election

Thailand, the first country in Asia to decriminalise cannabis in 2022, tightens rules to appeal to conservative voters ahead of pivotal election.

United States

Editorial | US strike on Venezuela signals worrying return to gunboat diplomacy

One big concern for China is that America’s actions can create even more uncertainties than Trump’s tariff and trade policies.

US-Venezuela conflict

US ousting of Maduro prompts region to reassess China – and Trump’s next move

Trump hints at wider action as Latin American governments weigh sovereignty, China ties and US dominance.

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Protesters gather outside a courthouse in New York on Monday where ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro made his first appearance after he was seized by US forces in his country. Photo: Xinhua
US-Venezuela conflict

‘Shocked’ China demands immediate release of Nicolas Maduro

At an ‘emergency’ meeting of the UN Security Council, Chinese envoy Sun Lei says Beijing ‘strongly condemns’ Maduro’s capture by US.

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Sun Lei, deputy permanent representative of China to the UN, addresses the UN Security Council on Monday in New York. Photo: AP
US-Venezuela conflict

Maduro says he is ‘innocent’ in court, declaring himself Venezuela’s president

Abducted strongman was indicted on narcoterrorism and weapons charges after being taken into US custody in Caracas.

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US-Venezuela conflict

After Venezuela takeover, Chinese investors brace for era of regional anxiety

Washington’s moves to assert dominance in the western hemisphere could see tighter restrictions to curb Beijing’s growing footprint.

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Americas and the Caribbean

Power vacuum in Caracas? Venezuelans wonder who’s in charge after US operation

Nicolas Maduro’s deputy granted temporary presidential powers, but it is unclear who is running Venezuela.

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Venezuela government supporters burn a US flag in Caracas on Saturday. Photo: AP
Americas and the Caribbean

Explainer | Was the US capture of Venezuela’s President Maduro legal?

Nicolas Maduro to face charges in New York - but experts question the legality of the US operation and plans to ‘run’ Venezuela.

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Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro in custody at the offices of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in New York City. Photo: @RapidResponse47 via Reuters
Americas and the Caribbean

Inside the US operation in Venezuela to capture President Maduro

Elite US troops seized the Venezuelan leader and his wife in a predawn assault involving 150 aircraft, in a mission that was months in the making.

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United States

Explainer | US interventions in Latin America: a history of coups and conflicts

From the Bay of Pigs to Operation Condor to Venezuela in 2026: A look at the legacy of CIA-backed coups and US military action in Latin America.

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