Illegal drug trade
Myanmar’s opium fields grow even as its government calls for complete eradication
Myanmar is one of the world’s largest producers of opium, second only to Afghanistan. And while the government has declared a goal of being drug-free by 2019, skepticism abounds among local politicians and officials — as well as the farmers who see growing opium as their only means for prosperity.
Mexico captures its most-wanted drug lord, but Mexicans are still angry
Mexican police have nabbed “La Tuta,” one of the country’s most powerful cartel leaders. But while authorities celebrate another major arrest, Mexican citizens continued to protest over missing students, violence and corruption in their country.
Remembering Ariel Camacho, the 22-year-old star of Mexico’s narcocorridos
Ariel Camacho, lead singer of the group Los Plebes del Rancho, was killed in a car accident on Wednesday. Just 22 years old, Camacho was already a big name in the world of narcocorridos, Mexico’s musical odes to drug trafficking culture.
Just 10 bucks and a phone call can get you Russia’s dangerous new drug
A new drug called spice is only the latest in a series of synthetic drugs that have flooded the Russian market over the years. Offering a cheap and readily available high, Russian health experts are trying to keep kids away, but keeping up with drug dealers is proving difficult.
Mexico’s ‘narco state’ gets a cultural boost from new, more gory pop ballads
Narcocorrido ballads about outlaw drug traffickers have been a staple of Mexican pop music for decades. But now, the songs are getting more violent and seem to reflect the growing influence of drug cartels over the Mexican state.