drug trafficking

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Ryan Wedding's No. 2 Turned FBI Informant

Andrew Clark reportedly helped expose cartel-linked smuggling network beginning in early 2025

(Newser) - Ryan Wedding allegedly ordered one informant's murder—and then, prosecutors say, watched his own top lieutenant flip to the FBI. Court filings reviewed by CBC News describe how Andrew Clark, the man US authorities painted as Wedding's second-in-command, became a key source in the case against the former...

For Toronto Cops, a 'Deeply Disappointing' Internal Bust

7 current police officers, one retired officer accused of doling out private info to violent mobsters

(Newser) - Seven Toronto police officers and one retired officer have been arrested and charged in an organized crime investigation involving bribery, conspiracy to commit murder, and drug trafficking, authorities said Thursday. Police officials at a news conference said the officers had collected personal and private information unlawfully and distributed it to...

China Executes 11 in Crackdown on 'Scam Kingpins'

'Mafia-like' Ming crime family was responsible for deaths of those forced to work in scam centers

(Newser) - China has executed 11 members of the Ming family crime syndicate. They were sentenced to death in September for crimes including homicide and drug trafficking. Dozens of other clan members received long sentences for their roles in the group's activities, which included running scam centers and illegal gambling operations...

2 Dead in Latest Boat Strike, This Time in Pacific

It's first known attack on vessels since capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro

(Newser) - The US military said on Friday that it has carried out a deadly strike on a vessel accused of trafficking drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, the first known attack since the raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro earlier this month. US Southern Command said on social media that...

5 Human Heads Found at Picturesque Beach

Graphic scene in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador, included a warning to alleged extortionists

(Newser) - Five human heads were found hanging from ropes on a beach in southwestern Ecuador, police said on Sunday, as the country reels from a wave of violence related to drug trafficking. Images published by Ecuadorian media outlets showed the bloody scene. Next to the heads was a warning sign directed...

FBI Seizes $40M in Motorcycles Tied to Fugitive Ex-Olympian

Collection is seized in Mexico amid global manhunt for snowboarder Ryan Wedding

(Newser) - The FBI says it just found what looks like a drug boss' dream garage. US officials announced Monday that Mexican authorities seized a cache of high-end motorcycles—estimated to be worth around $40 million—and say the collection is tied to Ryan Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder now accused of...

Cartel Honcho Who Faked Death, Came to US, Sentenced

Cristian Fernando Gutierrez-Ochoa gets 11 years

(Newser) - A Mexican cartel leader who faked his own death before taking up residence in California has been sentenced to 11 years in federal prison, reports CBS News . Cristian Fernando Gutierrez-Ochoa had been living under an alias before his arrest in the US in 2024. He pleaded guilty to laundering millions...

Death Toll in US Boat Strikes Blows Past 100

US military says 5 were killed in 2 new boat strikes against alleged drug smugglers in eastern Pacific

(Newser) - The US military on Thursday said it had conducted two more strikes against boats it claimed were smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing five people. US Southern Command posted on social media that "intelligence confirmed that the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern...

Fisherman's Family Accuses US of 'Extra-Judicial Killings'

Colombian family files human rights complaint

(Newser) - The family of a Colombian fisherman killed in a military strike at sea has filed a human rights complaint against the United States. In a complaint filed with the Washington, DC-based Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the family says Alejandro Carranza Medina, a 42-year-old killed in an alleged anti-narcotics operation...

Former Honduras Leader Freed After Trump Pardon

Ex-President Juan Orlando Hernandez released from 45-year sentence tied to drug trafficking

(Newser) - Former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernandez, sentenced last year to 45 years in prison for his role in helping drug traffickers move hundreds of tons of cocaine to the United States, was released from prison following a pardon from President Trump, Hernandez's wife announced Tuesday. The US Bureau of...

Son of 'El Chapo' Changes Plea in Chicago Court

Joaquin Guzman Lopez was appearing at a status hearing in the drug trafficking case against him

(Newser) - Joaquin Guzman Lopez, son of notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, pleaded guilty in a US federal court on Monday to drug trafficking charges. The plea was entered during what was supposed to be a status hearing in Chicago, according to court records. Guzman Lopez, one of...

Trump: Hegseth Didn't Order Strike on Survivors

President says he trusts Pentagon chief's denial about drug boat controversy

(Newser) - President Trump is standing by Pete Hegseth amid controversy over a deadly military strike on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that the Pentagon chief did not order a second strike specifically to kill two survivors from the initial strike. "Pete...

Trump to Pardon Ex-President Convicted of Drug Trafficking

Post includes endorsement in Honduras' election

(Newser) - President Trump said Friday that he'll pardon former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was convicted of drug trafficking and weapons charges last year and sentenced to 45 years in prison. The president explained his decision in a social media post, saying that "according to many people that...

US Calls Cartel a Terror Group; Venezuela Says It Doesn't Exist

US seeks 'new options' by labeling Cartel de los Soles it says Maduro runs as a terror organization

(Newser) - Venezuela is pushing back hard against a US plan to label the so-called Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist organization, dismissing the move as a "ridiculous fabrication" ahead of a formal announcement expected Monday. The Trump administration alleges the group is run by high-ranking Venezuelan officials, with President...

Reward for Ex-Olympic Snowboarder Upped to $15M

Feds intensify their hunt for alleged drug kingpin Ryan Wedding

(Newser) - Ryan Wedding was once a Canadian Olympic snowboarder. Now he's "a modern-day iteration of Pablo Escobar. He's a modern-day iteration of 'El Chapo' Guzman," said FBI Director Kash Patel Wednesday in announcing the reward for the 44-year-old's capture has been raised to $15...

US Hits Another Suspected Drug Boat in Pacific, Kills 3

The attack is the 21st such strike in recent weeks

(Newser) - The US military on Saturday carried out its 21st strike in recent weeks on a vessel it claims was transporting narcotics, killing three people in the Eastern Pacific, according to US Southern Command. The incident took place in international waters and targeted a boat linked to what officials described as...

Man Freed From Prison by Trump Is Making Return Trip

Jonathan Braun, whose sentence Trump commuted, is sentenced to 27 months on sex assault charges

(Newser) - A man whose prison sentence was commuted by President Trump at the tail end of Trump's first term is headed back behind bars. Jonathan Braun, originally convicted of drug trafficking and money laundering in 2011, was sentenced on Monday to 27 months for a string of violent and abusive...

Hegseth: Latest Drug Boat Strikes Kill 6

Pair of boats destroyed in the eastern Pacific bring total number of US hits at 19 since September

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday announced the latest in a series of strikes on boats accused of ferrying drugs—six people were killed in attacks on two vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The dual strikes on Sunday bring the total number of known attacks up to 19 and...

Senate Narrowly Rejects Putting Check on Attacking Venezuela

Just two Republicans break ranks in vote, though several fall short of endorsing Trump taking military action

(Newser) - The Senate narrowly voted down a proposal Thursday that would have required congressional approval before President Trump could launch military operations against Venezuela. The measure, backed largely by Democrats and two Republicans, failed 49-51, marking the second time in a month that lawmakers have tried unsuccessfully to limit the administration'...

Portugal Intercepts Narco-Sub Carrying 1.7 Tons of Cocaine

Crew members from 4 countries arrested after mid-Atlantic bust

(Newser) - Portuguese authorities have intercepted a narco-submarine carrying more than 1.7 tons of cocaine in the mid-Atlantic, arresting four crew members from South America and sinking the vessel after deeming it too fragile to tow ashore, the BBC reports. The semi-submersible, believed to be headed for the Iberian Peninsula, was...

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