Drugs
A Tale of Two ‘Ketamine Queens’
As “ketamine queen” Jasveen Sangha awaits sentencing for her role in the death of “Friends” actor Matthew Perry, Joanne Drayton traces parallels with the all but forgotten tale of the heiress Marcia Moore, who championed the drug’s mind-expanding properties and died in mysterious circumstances.
The Cocaine King of Freetown
After fleeing authorities in Europe, the Dutch drug kingpin “Chubby” Jos Leijdekkers landed in Sierra Leone, where he quietly insinuated himself into the country’s ruling family as he rebuilt his empire.
In Post-Assad Syria, the Legacy of a Narco-State Lingers
Over four months after the fall of Assad, Syria is still struggling with the pervasive Captagon trade. Despite the new authorities vowing to dismantle drug networks, the illicit business continues, fueled by economic hardship and lingering connections from the previous regime.
Tracking the Pacific Drug Highway
Drug trafficking has undergone a dramatic transformation in the Pacific. What began as a relatively small-scale drug scene dominated by local gangs has evolved into a major international trafficking route called the “Pacific Drug Highway,” connecting Latin American cartels to lucrative Australian and New Zealand markets.
A Rekindled Conflict Has Pushed Colombia Into a State of Emergency
Colombian president Gustavo Petro has been in the global spotlight for his war of words with Donald Trump over the deportation of migrants, but that incident has overshadowed a storm brewing at home — one that led Petro to declare a state of emergency that temporarily grants him extraordinary powers.
How Assad’s Trade in Captagon Fueled His Downfall
The Assad regime’s manipulation of the Captagon trade, combining industrial-scale production with carefully crafted counternarcotics rhetoric, staged seizures and inflated statistics, gave the illusion of a crackdown. But the regime’s reliance on Captagon to reinforce its hold on power prompted a backlash from neighboring states and hastened its collapse.
In Sri Lanka, the Army Is Engaging in a New War on Drugs
Extrajudicial executions, police raids on low-income neighborhoods, media demonization of addicts and court-mandated rehabilitation at army-run centers have raised concerns about the criminalization of substance abuse in Sri Lanka.