(MOSCOW) Vladimir Loginov, 25 years old but with the tired eyes of a man much older, sat reading the Russian criminal code and explaining his fate. He had been arrested on the streets in 1999, accused of possessing approximately a quarter gram of heroin. He spent five years and two months in prison. By the time he left, he had contracted tuberculosis. Under a new Russian drug policy, such a bleak journey through the country's penal system for small-scale drug possession has become much less likely. After years of harsh penalties for people convicted of possessing small amounts of illegal drugs, Russia has liberalized policies underpinning the law. [continues 569 words]
As the use of crystal meth or "tik" explodes among young people in the Western Cape, premier Ebrahim Rasool has vowed that three major druglords will be arrested by the end of September. "Within the next 100 days, we will identify enough evidence that will lead to the preparation of warrants of arrest for three major Cape druglords," he said at Cape Town station yesterday at the launch of a youth service train. "We will also deal with their bail applications properly to ensure that we are able to sustain cases against them. This 'tik tik' drug has added an urgency, so we want to tell those who peddle drugs that we are serious." [continues 647 words]
NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan begin two days of talks in Islamabad tomorrow on controlling drug trafficking in the region and checking financing of terrorism through proceeds of drug trade. A six-member Indian delegation which will visit Pakistan to attend the two-day meeting of the India-Pakistan committee on drug trafficking and smuggling, will also hold discussions on the use of drugs and their link with HIV/AIDS, elimination of poppy cultivation in Afghanistan and illegal drug trade between the two countries, sources said. The two countries had decided on April 16 to hold talks on the issue under a roadmap worked out between their respective foreign secretaries in Islamabad on February 18. [continues 180 words]
Heat, drugs fatal mix at music festival MANCHESTER, Tenn. - Given a crowd estimated at more than 150,000, plenty of illegal drug use and stifling heat, a sheriff said Monday that it was lucky that only two fans died at this year's Bonnaroo music festival. "When there is drug usage and the heat has been like it has, we have been expecting it every year. ... This year our luck ran out," Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves said. Preliminary toxicology tests indicated both victims had been using drugs. [continues 351 words]
Own informant helped police catch Ryan in sting operation An RCMP informant picked up by Halifax Regional Police on two outstanding warrants in 2001 ratted out a former Tantallon officer as a "dirty cop" who supplied drugs and demanded cuts of the proceeds. On Monday, the actions of Joseph Daniel (Danny) Ryan, an ex-member of the Tantallon RCMP street team, came back to haunt him when a judge found him guilty of marijuana trafficking and breach of trust. Mr. Ryan, 33, will be sentenced Aug. 30 at Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax. [continues 792 words]
Family plans to reopen businesses in sleepy town TOOMSBORO - Tim Bumgardner says his family's plans to turn this Wilkinson County town into a quaint tourist destination won't proceed until local drug dealers are put out of business. Local law enforcement officials say the developer is exaggerating the amount of drug crime in Toomsboro. "We're not going to do anything until this stuff is cleaned up," Bumgardner said Friday. "There are five or six crack houses in town. Nobody in Wilkinson County is interested in doing anything about it." [continues 505 words]
PTI Islamabad June 12: India and Pakistan would hold a series of talks on wide range of issues next week, beginning with the dialogue between top officials of the two countries to prevent drug trafficking and smuggling. A high-level Indian delegation headed by the Director-General of the Narcotic Control Bureau, Mr M K Singh would arrive in Pakistan on June 14 to attend the meeting of the committee on drug trafficking and smuggling to be held here on June 15 and 16, the Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman, Mr Masood Khan told a media briefing today. [continues 410 words]
HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGING: Might not find 'Mom and Pop' meth labs but may be able to stop the big labs. HARRIMAN - The Governor's Task Force on Methamphetamine met Monday morning in Harriman to discuss options for combating the ever-increasing problems associated with methamphetamine abuse. The Task Force has met several times this year to find ways to combat the abuse of the drug and take the information back to Gov. Phil Bredesen in September. Bredesen appointed the panel after lawmakers failed to agree on legislation concerning meth in March. [continues 545 words]
Adventurism, peer pressures and family problems are among the three main reasons identified by the Baguio City Police Office-Drug Enforcement Unit (BCPO-DEU) as to why Baguio teenagers are being lured to using illegal drugs. Senior Supt. Isagani Nerez highlighted the three main reasons of drug abuse among teenagers during the first anniversary celebration of the Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (Aidsotf) at Malcolm Square on Monday. But both the BCPO-DEA and the regional Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) have no available estimate on the number of Baguio teenagers using illegal drugs, although law enforcers believed many of them are out-of-school youth. In Baguio, the bulk of the 150,000 student population are below 18 years old, officials said. [continues 197 words]
The meteoric rise of methamphetamine labs in North Carolina has spread to areas around the Twin Counties, but its use and manufacture hasn't expanded to Nash and Edgecombe counties, law enforcement officers said. "It's around us," said Rocky Mount police Lt. J. Wayne Sears. "We have not seen a problem with meth consumption or meth production. "We do not have a large meth consumption market. Without demand, you don't see a lot of meth labs." Since 1999, the first year that meth labs were reported in North Carolina, SBI agents have discovered nine labs. In 2003, state agents shut down 177 labs, and through the first four months of this year, 108 labs have been destroyed. [continues 469 words]
Quick! Detroit Police: Distribute Marijuana Immediately! Fifty-thousand English soccer fans have followed the country's side to Lisbon, Portugal, for the Euro 2004 tournament, and police braced themselves for serious trouble as England met France in a first-round game Sunday. But even as an estimated 15,000 people jammed the Rossio, Lisbon's town square, in an impromptu pre-match party, and even as France scored twice in injury time for a stunning 2-1 win, all was peaceful, blissful, friendly, groovy. [continues 78 words]