Latest Opioids News
Mexican kingpin's arrest likely to set off violent jockeying for power
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A new era is coming for Mexico’s powerful Sinaloa cartel in the wake of the capture by U.S. authorities of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the last of the grand old Mexican drug traffickers. Experts believe his arrest will usher in a new wave of violence in...
A look at 'El Mayo' Zambada, the kingpin of Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel who is now in US custody
PHOENIX (AP) — Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the top leader and co-founder of Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, eluded the reach of U.S. law enforcement for decades as the criminal organization evolved into the world's biggest manufacturer and smuggler of illicit fentanyl pills and other drugs to the...
Smuggled drugs killed 2 inmates at troubled South Carolina jail, sheriff says
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Two inmates died from drug overdoses in two days at a South Carolina jail, which has been under a federal civil rights investigation, authorities said. The inmates at the jail in Richland County were killed by two different drugs, one on Monday and a second on...
Gang used drugs, violence to commit robberies that led to four deaths, prosecutors say
A group of gang members who trafficked drugs and guns and used dating websites to connect with people interested in hiring prostitutes were responsible for a series of robberies that led to four deaths, federal prosecutors said Friday. Dubbed the “fentanyl robbery gang,” the...
Kentucky drug crackdown yields 200 arrests in Operation Summer Heat
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A sweeping investigation into suspected drug trafficking rings has produced more than 200 arrests and drug seizures valued at nearly $685,000, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday. He also touted prevention and treatment programs fighting the deadly addiction epidemic. ...
Sean Burroughs, former Little League star and MLB player, died of fentanyl intoxication
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sean Burroughs, a two-time Little League World Series champion who won an Olympic gold medal and went on to a major league career that was interrupted by substance abuse, died of fentanyl intoxication, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office. ...
The threat of litigation looms as Purdue Pharma returns to settlement talks
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma is trying to chart the course for a new mass settlement of thousands of lawsuits over the toll of opioids after the U.S. Supreme Court last month rejected its previous deal, which was years in the making. State, local and tribal governments and...
Mexico's efforts to seize US-bound fentanyl drop sharply, while seizures of meth soar
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Even as Mexican-made fentanyl continues to flood into the United States, Mexico’s efforts to seize the drug have declined dramatically, according to figures released Tuesday by the Defense Department. Figures for the first half of 2024 show that Mexican federal...
Melissa Etheridge connects with incarcerated women in new docuseries 'I'm Not Broken'
NEW YORK (AP) — Melissa Etheridge realized two career dreams with her new docuseries “Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken”: performing for incarcerated women and recording the concert for a live album. The singer-songwriter grew up in Leavenworth, Kansas — an area home to a...
Maine attorney general announces resource center to aid local opioid settlement spending
The attorney general’s office is putting nearly $2.5 million toward a resource center that will offer assistance to Maine counties, cities and towns as they decide how to spend opioid settlement funds, Attorney General Aaron Frey told The Maine Monitor in an exclusive interview. In...
