All articles tagged with #drug trafficking
Plastic-wrapped cocaine bricks, locally nicknamed 'square grouper,' are frequently washing up in the Florida Keys. While some locals report finds to authorities, others exploit the situation for profit. Federal prosecutors recently sentenced a ring of individuals for distributing these recovered drugs, highlighting a persistent smuggling issue in the region.
Fiji police confirmed that nearly 40 kilograms of cocaine held as evidence in the trial of Joshua Aziz Rahman has been replaced with flour. The drugs, valued at approximately $13.3 million to $31 million, were stored at the Suva High Court since 2021. Forensic tests revealed all 39 bars were tampered with, prompting an investigation into six judiciary staff with vault access. This incident follows a similar theft in March and highlights ongoing security failures in Fiji’s judicial system amid a regional drug crisis.
Jodie Turner-Smith has been named in a civil lawsuit filed by three anonymous women in Los Angeles. The suit alleges she enabled her brother, Richard Smith, by providing housing, funds, and a vehicle used for drug transport, while he engaged in non-consensual sexual activity and drug dealing. Turner-Smith’s representative denies the claims, calling them a harassment tactic, while the plaintiffs seek damages for physical and psychological harm.
British actress Jodie Turner-Smith is named in a new civil lawsuit alleging she funded her brother Richard Smith's drug distribution, firearms possession, and abusive sexual activities. Filed in Los Angeles by three anonymous plaintiffs, the suit claims Turner-Smith provided financial support, including an Audi used for cross-state narcotics transport, and participated in the operation. While the plaintiffs assert Turner-Smith is liable for her knowledge and assistance, her representative has not yet responded to requests for comment.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. granted an absolute pardon to Mary Jane Veloso on September 24, 2026, officially freeing her from prison in the Philippines. Veloso, a former overseas domestic worker, was convicted of drug smuggling in Indonesia in 2010 and narrowly escaped execution by firing squad in 2015. She was transferred to a Philippine jail in December 2024 and has been held at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City since then. The pardon concludes a 16-year legal battle that became a global cause célèbre, with Veloso maintaining she was tricked into carrying 5.7 pounds of heroin in her luggage.
Italian police seized €3.2 million ($3.6 million) in cash hidden within the walls, floors, and furniture of an apartment in Caivano, Naples, during a raid that resulted in 34 arrests. The operation, led by anti-mafia prosecutor Nicola Gratteri, targeted the Angelino clan, a group accused of drug trafficking and extortion. Authorities also recovered 11 luxury Rolex watches, weapons, and drug paraphernalia. The cash, found in bundles of 50-euro notes, is believed to be proceeds from drug sales. The raid followed a months-long investigation involving wiretaps and a tip-off from a state witness.
The US military confirmed it killed four people in a strike against a boat suspected of drug smuggling in the Caribbean. This action is part of a broader campaign that has resulted in at least 231 deaths across 69 strikes since its inception. Officials provided limited evidence that the targeted vessel was actually transporting drugs.
The U.S. military killed four people in a strike on a boat in the Caribbean Sea on September 19, 2026. This action is part of a broader campaign against alleged drug traffickers that has resulted in at least 231 deaths across 69 strikes in the past year. While the military asserts the vessel was involved in narco-trafficking, it has not provided public evidence to support this claim.
The US military conducted a lethal strike on a vessel in the Caribbean Sea on September 19, 2026, killing four individuals. This action is part of a broader campaign against alleged drug traffickers that has resulted in at least 231 deaths across 69 strikes in the past year. While the Pentagon asserts the target was a 'narco-terrorist' vessel, critics and legal experts question the legality of the operations and the lack of public evidence provided by the US Southern Command.
The U.S. military killed four people in a strike on a suspected drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean Sea on Saturday, bringing the total death toll from such operations to at least 231. U.S. Southern Command did not provide evidence that the vessel was transporting drugs, though it claimed the target was along a known smuggling route. This latest action continues the Trump administration's monthslong campaign against alleged traffickers in Latin America, which has faced criticism for lacking transparency and evidence.
Egyptian TV host Sarah Khalifa has been sentenced to death in a synthetic-drug case and plans to appeal under Egypt’s 2024 felony-appeal reforms. The prosecution accuses her of funding and coordinating the operation (which involved MDMB-4en-PINACA), while she denies involvement. The appeals process can lead to upholding, reducing, or overturning the sentence, with further review by higher courts and potential ministerial/presidential mercy stages.
The U.S. has broadened its lethal boat-strike campaign by sinking six large fishing vessels off Ecuador in two weeks, which Washington says function as floating refueling stations for fast drug-smuggling boats; tied to the Los Choneros gang, these targets are intended to disrupt narcotics logistics, though experts warn the strikes may violate the law by targeting civilians; the broader campaign has killed more than 220 people in the year-long effort.
Egyptian TV host Sarah Khalifa was sentenced to death by hanging in Cairo in a major drug trafficking case that prosecutors say involved 28 defendants forming an organized network to manufacture and distribute synthetic drugs; 12 defendants were given death sentences, including Khalifa, with nine more receiving life terms and seven acquitted. The group allegedly imported materials, produced drugs, and stored them at a residence, and authorities seized more than 750 kilograms of narcotics and precursors. Khalifa, arrested in April 2025, is a prominent media figure and beauty-clinic owner, and the case relied on witnesses and digital evidence.
Egyptian TV host Sarah Khalifa, known for the crime drama “Mission Impossible,” was sentenced to death by hanging in a Cairo court along with 11 others for allegedly procuring materials to manufacture synthetic narcotics and trafficking them. Prosecutors say the ring imported materials, stored drugs in homes, and even smuggled some materials in cosmetics containers. Khalifa, who has 2.6 million Instagram followers, denies the charges and can appeal; several co-defendants received life sentences. The death sentences carry a fine of about $9,290, and Khalifa also faces a separate three-year sentence for assaulting her driver.
An Egyptian court sentenced TV presenter Sarah Khalifa to death for financing and coordinating a synthetic drug network; a co-defendant was also sentenced to death, nine defendants received life terms, and seven were acquitted, with Khalifa’s brother among the death sentences. She plans to appeal, and higher courts could review the case. The substances were identified as the synthetic cannabinoid MDMB-4en-PINACA. A separate assault case also yielded prison terms for Khalifa. Egypt maintains the death penalty for serious drug offences, drawing criticism from rights groups.