narcotics

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

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...

CIA Hatched a Unique Plot to Disrupt Afghan Opium

Agency secretly dropped poppy seeds designed to make the resulting heroin less potent

(Newser) - The US is deploying aggressive—and very public —methods these days in its war on international drugs. It's a sharp contrast to a secret tactic used years ago in Afghanistan that the Washington Post is revealing for the first time. It seems the CIA secretly dropped modified seeds...

US Military Announces Its 20th Boat Strike

4 are reported dead after Caribbean Sea hit that US government alleges targeted a drug vessel

(Newser) - The US military's 20th strike on a boat accused of transporting drugs has killed four people in the Caribbean Sea, the US military said Friday, coming as the Trump administration escalates its campaign in South American waters. The latest strike happened Monday, according to a social media post on...

Trump Confirms CIA Covert Ops in Venezuela

But president won't say if he gave the green light to 'take out' Maduro

(Newser) - President Trump has confirmed authorizing covert CIA operations in Venezuela. Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, Trump also floated the idea of military strikes against drug cartels there, citing two motivations: claims that Venezuela has "emptied their prisons into the United States" and ongoing concerns about narcotics...

Hegseth: Military Destroyed Another Boat, Killing 4 Aboard
US Strike Kills 4 Off Venezuela
Oct 3, 2025 4:55 PM CDT

US Strike Kills 4 Off Venezuela

Hegseth provides no evidence that boat was carrying narcotics

(Newser) - The US military killed four men on a boat in international waters near Venezuela on Friday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced in a post, claiming without presenting evidence that the vessel was involved in smuggling narcotics and those on board were linked to terrorist organizations. It was the fourth...

Her Alleged Scheme: Tease Sex and Drugs, Then Rob and Kill

Prosecutors say 3 men died at Tabitha Bundrick's hands after drug-fueled robberies

(Newser) - A New York City woman is facing murder charges after prosecutors say she lured men with promises of sex and drugs, then robbed them and left them to die. Tabitha Bundrick, already serving a 13-year federal sentence for narcotics offenses tied to the same deaths, appeared in New York...

Venezuela Disputes US Claim on Boat Strike That Killed 11

Caracas rejects US drug claims as military tensions escalate

(Newser) - Venezuela says none of the 11 people killed in last week's US military boat strike in the Caribbean were members of the notorious Tren de Aragua gang—despite US assertions to the contrary. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello announced on state TV that local investigations found no link to...

Hawaii Police Dog Dies After Being Left in Hot Car

Narcotics K-9 Archer was found unattended in what department calls 'a preventable tragedy'

(Newser) - A decorated police dog in Hawaii died after being left alone in a hot patrol car, raising serious questions about K-9 safety protocols within law enforcement. Interim Police Chief Reed Mahuna described the incident as "a preventable tragedy" and said that both criminal and administrative investigations are underway....

Welfare Check Leads to Another Arrest for Paul Rodriguez

Comedian, 70, is arrested on charges of narcotics possession, same as he was in March

(Newser) - When Paul Rodriguez was arrested earlier this year in California for narcotics possession, his lawyers insisted that the drugs belonged to the driver of the vehicle he was riding in, not to Rodriguez. Police now say the 70-year-old comedian is once more in legal trouble, after being arrested Monday (again...

Comedian: Cops Violated My Civil Rights in Drug Arrest

Paul Rodriguez says he was slapped by 'Caucasian' officer on a 'power trip'

(Newser) - Comedian Paul Rodriguez says police violated his civil rights while arresting him for narcotics possession on Friday in California. Burbank Police said Rodriguez was a passenger in a vehicle that was pulled over for "code violations" around 7:30pm. "Narcotics were located" and Rodriguez, 70, was booked on...

Houston, We Have a Drug-Addicted Rat Problem

City to eliminate narcotics evidence seized prior to 2015 as critters are getting high in police storerooms

(Newser) - Authorities in Houston, Texas, are looking to destroy long-held evidence that has spawned "drug-addicted rats" in police storerooms. At a Friday press conference, Houston police chief J Noe Diaz described "over 1.2 million pieces of evidence" held by the city's police, including notes from a 1947...

Lawyer Accused of Bringing More Than Papers to Jail

Ronald Lewis, 77, is accused of smuggling drug-laced documents to inmates in Texas facility

(Newser) - A good attorney will have your back as you navigate all the legalities of your case. An even better attorney knows that "having your back" doesn't translate to sneaking narcotics into the facility where you're incarcerated. That's exactly what lawyer Ronald Henry Lewis is accused of...

After Odor Sickened His Family, He Set Up a Hidden Camera

Florida's Xuming Li arrested, accused of injecting chemical agents under neighbor's door

(Newser) - A Florida man suspicious about chemical smells in his home that appeared to be making his infant sick installed a camera to see if he could suss out what was going on—and now his neighbor is accused of being the cause. NBC News reports that 36-year-old Xuming Li, a...

Prosecutors: Rust Armorer Got Rid of Drugs Day of Shooting

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed hit with new charge of evidence tampering

(Newser) - The armorer on the set of Rust gave someone drugs on the same day she loaded a live round into a prop gun that went off, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, according to special prosecutors, who've leveled a new charge of evidence tampering. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed "did transfer narcotics to...

Justice Dept. Is 'Evaluating' Safe Injection Sites

Position is a big change from earlier stance

(Newser) - A year after winning a major court battle against the opening of so-called safe injection site—safe havens for people to use heroin and other narcotics with protections against fatal overdoses—the Justice Department is signaling it might be open to allowing them. In response to questions from the AP...

On Marijuana, a 'Huge, Historic Victory'

UN committee takes cannabis for medical use off of list of most dangerous drugs

(Newser) - Drug policy advocates are celebrating a win this week after a United Nations commission voted to remove marijuana for medical use from a list of the world's most dangerous drugs. In a 27-25 vote, with only Ukraine abstaining, the 53 member states of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs...

Rose McGowan: Arrest Warrant Is Effort to Silence Me

Which she says is a 'load of horses---'

(Newser) - Rose McGowan has been among the most vocal in speaking up about Harvey Weinstein . Now she's raising her voice about some trouble she's in with the law, and she's amplifying her outspokenness with a sprinkling of profanity. "Are they trying to silence me? There is a...

Alleged Online Drug Lord Tripped Up by Beard Contest

Gal Vallerius nabbed in Atlanta en route to beard competition

(Newser) - People in trouble with the law often grow a beard, or don a fake one, to avoid notice. In Gal Vallerius' case, his beard is what did him in. Vallerius, who authorities believe is an administrator for a dark web narcotics site, was arrested Aug. 31 at Atlanta's airport...

Border Patrol Finds 2 Kids, $460K in Cocaine in Woman's Car

Some women smugglers apparently bring children along to make themselves 'inconspicuous'

(Newser) - On Monday morning, a Border Patrol agent pulled over a Honda Accord cruising north on Interstate 5 in San Clemente, Calif., and the agent's drug dog started giving the sign there was possibly something illicit inside the vehicle, the Los Angeles Times reports. Surprise No. 1 when agents searched...

Cops: Man Tries to Hawk Drugs While in Court

Pennsylvania man's plan didn't pan out

(Newser) - A 35-year-old man who showed up in a Pittsburgh traffic courtroom Monday to face charges of driving under suspension was apparently feeling either very reckless or more or less invincible (and invisible). The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Christopher Durkin had wrapped up his hearing and was heading out of the...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>
Most Read on Newser