drugs

Gandelina Damião, 78, lost three children to heroin in the 1990s. She says she wishes methadone clinics and other government-sponsored drug treatment had been available to her children before they died.

In Portugal, Drug Use Is Treated As A Medical Issue, Not A Crime

10:20am April 18, 2017

by Lauren Frayer

Since 2001, possession or use of any drug has been treated as a health issue in Portugal. The country's drug-induced death rate has plummeted to five times lower than the European Union average.

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Gustavo Falcon, the last of South Florida's "Cocaine Cowboys," was arrested Wednesday, more than a quarter-century after he went on the lam.

National

U.S. Marshals Say They've Rounded Up 'The Last Of The Cocaine Cowboys'

9:14pm April 13, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

Gustavo Falcon, his brother and their associates were indicted in 1991 for smuggling 75 tons of cocaine into the U.S. His partners were caught and convicted, but Falcon roamed free — until Wednesday.

Six Charged In North Carolina With Trafficking A Ton Of Pot

10:08am February 16, 2017

by Associated Press and WFDD Staff

Six people in western North Carolina have been arrested after officials found more than a ton of marijuana in a van.

A police SWAT team member stands guard while residents watch the body of a person killed in an alleged police anti-drug operation in Manila on Nov. 10.

World News

In Philippine Drug War, Death Toll Rises And So Do Concerns About Tactics

6:28pm November 28, 2016

by Michael Sullivan

Since the war on drugs began, some 5,000 people have been killed, 2,000 by police and 3,000 in extrajudicial killings. Reporter Michael Sullivan has been following the war in one Manila neighborhood.

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The wake for Aristotle Garcia, a suspected drug dealer shot by the police during an operation. Garcia's relatives believe he was not a dealer, but a drug user who was set up.

World News

A Stark Choice For Filipino Drug Addicts: Surrender Or Risk Being Killed

4:32pm September 16, 2016

by Michael Sullivan

More than 3,000 have been killed in the country's new war on drugs. More than 700,000 have surrendered to police, fearing for their lives. Police say those who surrender and stay clean will be safe.

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Police found these 24 buckets inside a secret room in a Miami house.

During A Drug Bust, Miami Police Find Some $20 Million Stuffed In Buckets

4:53pm June 29, 2016

by Eyder Peralta

Police are still counting the cash but it is clearly the largest cash seizure in the department's history. Police found the money in a hidden room inside a Miami home.

Science

Duke Researchers Discover A New Class Of Pain Reliever

1:22pm June 02, 2016

by Sean Bueter

Researchers at Duke University have discovered a potential new class of pain relievers that could someday treat patients with a variety of conditions more effectively.

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World News

More Than 8 Tons Of Cocaine Seized In Massive Colombian Drug Bust

3:34pm May 16, 2016

by Chris Arnold

Officials say the drugs were discovered in an underground chamber beneath a banana plantation near the border with Panama.

In this file photo, Dr. Jose Manuel Mireles speaks during an interview Dec. 1, 2013. Mireles is one of the subjects of the new film Cartel Land which follows vigilante groups fighting drug gangs.

National

'Cartel Land' Follows Vigilantes Fighting Mexican Drug Gangs

5:55pm February 27, 2016

Director Matthew Heineman embedded himself up close in the action — and the moral ambiguity — of citizen groups who are fighting back against drug cartels in Mexico.

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A vendor shows a t-shirt with the face of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán for sale in Mexico City on July 20, 2015.

World News

'People Are Still Dying On The Streets' In Mexico's Drug War

8:13am January 16, 2016

Despite the well-publicized capture of drug kingpin "El Chapo," ordinary Mexicans don't think much has changed in the ongoing violence.