drug trafficking news stories on Newser

Firefight May Blow Cover on DEA Role in Honduras

John Johnson — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:06:05 CDT

DEA agents in "commando-style" units have been quietly helping Honduran police go after drug smugglers, but a firefight this month may make it a lot harder to keep the operation low-key, reports the New York Times . A local mayor says a helicopter with DEA agents and Honduran cops fired on...

Cops: LAX Screeners Let Drugs Go Through

Dustin Lushing — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:39:05 CDT

The feds busted four TSA agents for allegedly helping drug traffickers smuggle suitcases packed with cocaine, marijuana, and meth through security at Los Angeles International Airport. The screeners are accused of accepting up to $2,400 in bribes for allowing the drugs to pass through X-ray machines and checkpoints, reports...

Feds Bust Online 'Farmer's Market' for Drugs

Rob Quinn — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 06:07:01 CDT

Eight people have been arrested and a "Drug Dealing 2.0" operation has been shut down after a global sting operation, reports the LA Times . Prosecutors say the "Farmer's Market" operation sold more than $1 million in LSD, marijuana, and other drugs over three years to buyers in 35 countries,...

El Salvador Has First Murder-Free Day Since 2009

Kevin Spak — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 07:57:33 CDT

Saturday was a banner day in El Salvador, because as far as anyone can tell, not a single person was violently killed. That may not sound like much of an accomplishment, but for El Salvador it is; the last time the country had a homicide-free day was 2009, Reuters reports....

Customs Finds Record 180 Heroin Pellets in Woman

Rob Quinn — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 01:30:00 CDT

A woman arrested at Washington's Dulles International Airport has set a record that nobody who values their life would attempt to beat, customs officials say. The 52-year-old woman had swallowed 180 pellets of heroin, containing nearly five pounds of the drug, reports the Los Angeles Times . The woman was detained...

US Suspects Afghan Air Force of Drug Running

Kevin Spak — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 09:40:34 CST

The US military and the DEA are both investigating the Afghan Air Force, over allegations that it has been using its aircraft—most of which were funded with US cash—to ferry narcotics and illegal weapons around the country, officials tell the Wall Street Journal . Senior AAF and Afghan government...

LA Cops Make Huge Drug Bust: $100M of PCP

John Johnson — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 06:34:22 CST

They'd been tipped off by the DEA, but Los Angeles cops weren't expecting the drug bust to be this big: Police seized $100 million worth of PCP in various locations, reports the Los Angeles Times . That translates to 130 gallons, an amount "I can't even get my head around," said...

28 Pounds of Cocaine Seized on Cruise Ship in SF

Rob Quinn — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 02:04:00 CST

It was supposed to be the cruise of a lifetime—around the Caribbean to Hawaii and onward to Australia. But three passengers who didn't make it past San Francisco look set to spend a big chunk of their lifetimes in jail. Customs officials seized close to 28 pounds of cocaine,...

Violence-Torn Guatemala's Solution: Legalize Drugs?

Mark Russell — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:10:06 CST

New Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina came to power promising a "firm hand" against his country's worsening drug trafficking problems. But yesterday, Perez showed his hand, to some surprise: He called for drug legalization, not just in Guatemala but around Central America, reports the LA Times . "We're bringing the issue...