News of drugs

Cuban woman alleges Maradona abused and raped her

23-11-2021 10:17 Mavys Álvarez Rego, a 37-year-old Cuban woman who had an affair with Diego Maradona as a minor 20 years ago, accuses late footballer and his entourage of violence and abuse, including rape and holding her against her will.

IN FOCUS

Drugs, crime and protests: Ecuador stares into the abyss

25-10-2021 12:44 Emboldened drug traffickers, hundreds of deaths in prisons, a government dogged by scandal, and an economy ravaged by Covid have Ecuador staring into the abyss.

EX-INTEL CHIEF

Spain court suspends extradition of Venezuela ex-intel chief

22-10-2021 12:59 Spain's top criminal court on Friday suspended the extradition of Venezuela's former intelligence chief, General Hugo Armando Carvajal, to the United States where he is wanted on drug-trafficking charges.

CRIME & SECURITY

Ecuador's president declares state of emergency over drug violence

19-10-2021 09:13 Guillermo Lasso declares a state of emergency in the country grappling with a surge in drug-related violence and orders mobilisation of police and military.

COURTS, CRIME & SECURITY

Rosario drug gang leader given 22-year jail term in seventh trial

01-10-2021 20:57 Ariel Máximo ’Guille’ Cantero, head of Los Monos drug gang, convicted for instigating seven attacks on judicial buildings, homes of prosecutors and judges.

DRUG VIOLENCE IN ROSARIO

Aníbal Fernández hints at measures to tackle drug violence surge in Rosario

27-09-2021 13:49 Security Minister Aníbal Fernández says "important announcements" are on the way to tackle uptick in drug-related violence in Rosario.

LONG READ

Colombia's illicit coca economy helps communities thrive

03-09-2021 00:01 In the mountains and jungles of southwestern Colombia, peasants and migrantstoil determinedly in fields of coca despite the dangers and persecution they suffer.

Human rights

Regional human rights body slams Ecuador over prison deaths

23-08-2021 20:39 Inter-American Commission on Human Rights condemns violence in Ecuadorean prisons that has left 121 inmates dead this year.

POLICE OPERATION

At least 25 killed in police drug raid in Rio slum, says Brazilian media

06-05-2021 15:45 A massive police operation against drug-traffickers in a Rio de Janeiro favela Thursday left at least 24 suspects and a policeman dead, according to reports.

LEGAL MARIJUANA IN MEXICO?

Mexico prepares for legal marijuana gold rush

18-03-2021 11:52 Mexican lawmakers are close to approving legalisation that is expected to catapult the country's regulated cannabis trade into a billion-dollar legal marijuana market.

OBITUARY: DIEGO MARADONA (1960-2020)

Maradona: the icon who lead Argentina to glory

28-11-2020 08:41 Diego Maradona was arguably the greatest football player ever. Despite his flaws and demons, he was worshiped in Argentina.

DIEGO ARMANDO MARADONA (1960-2020)

Maradona: Out of this world

28-11-2020 07:35 Diego Armando Maradona, the popular icon that Argentina was crying out for, blessed us mortals with 60 years in his magnetic presence. But now, the ‘Cosmic Kite’ has finally been called back to his home planet.

by Dan Edwards

CRIME & SECURITY

Sister of River Plate midfielder in custody after police stop uncovers 40kg of cocaine

23-11-2020 14:48 An elder sister of River Plate midfielder Nicolás De La Cruz was in Buenos Aires on Saturday while travelling in a taxi. Police officers find 40 kilogrammes of cocaine in vehicle.

Global pandemic

Trump, still infectious, back at White House — without a mask

06-10-2020 08:11 US President Donald Trump staged a dramatic return to the White House after leaving the military hospital where he was receiving an unprecedented level of care for Covid-19.

CRIME & SECURITY

Crime spirals out of control in troubled Rosario

05-10-2020 00:01 Rosario, Argentina’s third-largest city, has been suffering for years from escalating violence and the proliferation of drug gangs.

Murders in Colombia

Wave of massacres signals new chapter in Colombia's conflict

23-09-2020 17:35 Rather than a national dispute between guerrillas and the state, violence in rural Colombia is now marked by a patchwork of local feuds between criminal groups who fight over drug routes, illegal mines and even gasoline smuggling routes.

Interpol operation

Mafia fugitives arrested in Palermo in drug-smuggling sting

24-07-2020 16:42 Three alleged members of the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta mafia organisation were arrested in Buenos Aires last week and are now being processed for extradition to Italy. The sting was part of a larger Interpol investigation of 45 members of the organisation who are spread across the world.

survival during quarantine

The agony of Colombia's quarantined sex workers

22-04-2020 14:18 Survival has become a struggle for Colombia's sex workers during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown. Now, with half of humanity in confinement and those places off limits, they are struggling on handouts and meager savings.

BLOOMBERG

Latin America, world’s most crime-ridden region, is suddenly serene

10-04-2020 15:31 In Latin America, coronavirus has driven people into their homes, disrupting patterns of work and school. One change has been welcome – a huge drop in the burglaries and killings that mar daily existence across much of the region.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

United States indicts Venezuela leader Maduro for 'narco-terrorism'

26-03-2020 16:21 In an extremely rare criminal case brought against a foreign head of state, US Justice Department accuses Venezuelan president of being leader of cocaine-trafficking group and offers US$15 million reward for his capture.

Human rights

Red Cross chief: 'Life without fear is overdue in Colombia'

05-03-2020 14:22 Despite peace deal between the government and FARC, violence and disappearances continues to plague Colombia.

Long Read

Warren Buffett's son tries to help Colombia kick cocaine curse

13-02-2020 11:57 Colombian President Iván Duque and Howard Buffet have developed a strong partnership through their efforts in steering Colombia away from cocaine.

DRUG-TRAFFICKING

Ex-Paraná mayor handed six years in jail for drug-trafficking

31-12-2019 11:43 UCR politician Sergio Varisco, allied with opposition Cambiemos coalition, found guilty of drug-trafficking crimes. He denies the allegations and will remain under house arrest until sentence is confirmed.