Cocaine traffickers from Peru were caught attempting to transport cocaine into Spain with a shipment of guano.  From the AP (via Google News): Drug agents in Peru say they have seized 3 tons of cocaine mixed into a shipment of guano bound for Spain. A four-month investigation led to the seizure at a warehouse in the capital of [...]

Drug cartel hitmen who conduct operations for the cartels are becoming experts at killing. From the Washington Post: In Mexico’s chaotic drug war, attacks are no longer the work of desperate amateurs with bad aim. Increasingly, the killings are being carried out by professionals, often hooded and gloved, who trap their targets in coordinated ambushes, strike with [...]

In a sign of the times, a drug museum meant to educate soldiers in the drug war is expanding rapidly in Mexico as authorities acquire more and more resources to display. From the AFP (via Google News): Gold-incrusted weapons, children’s clothes decorated with LSD-laced stickers, and religious paintings packed with cocaine offer a glimpse into Mexico’s growing [...]

The official death toll for 2008 as released by the Attorney General of Mexico lists the number of dead at 5,376. From the AFP (via Yahoo News:) Drug gang-related killings have risen 117 percent in Mexico so far in 2008, compared with the same period last year, the country’s top prosecutor has said. “A total of 5,376 murders [...]

Organized crime groups in Canada are expanding their portfolios to the capital markets in order to increase their revenues.  From the Canadian Press (via Google News): Major crime groups are recruiting investment professionals to help them move far beyond traditional activities - smuggling, extortion and counterfeiting - into the rarefied world of high finance and market manipulation, [...]

The Los Angeles Times has a report on a 23 second attack in a jewelry store in Mexico that was a part of the ongoing drug war. From the LA Times: Twenty-three seconds after they came, the gunmen disappeared into the traffic of busy Francisco Madero Avenue, lined with hardware and lighting shops, taco vendors and newsstands. [...]

Hitmen for drug cartels in Mexico are pursuing their wounded victims to hospitals to finish the job. From the New York Times: The sedated patient, his bullet wounds still fresh from a shootout the night before, was lying in a gurney in the intensive care unit of a prestigious private hospital here late last month with intravenous [...]

Over 5,000 people have been killed in Mexico this year during the ongoing drug war between trafficking cartels and organized crime. From Bloomberg News: Mexican murders associated with organized crime and drug trafficking passed the 5,000 mark for the year, almost twice the number killed in all of 2007. A total of 5,031 people have died this year [...]

In an attempt to cut down on illegal logging in the Amazon, the Brazilian Government has announced an ambitious plan to cut deforestation in the region by 70 percent. From BBC News: Brazil has announced a plan to reduce deforestation rates in the Amazon region by 70% over the next ten years. The plan follows a call for [...]

A report by the Brookings Institution has found that the US led War on drugs has failed. From the LA Times: The United States’ war on drugs has failed and will continue to do so as long as it emphasizes law enforcement and neglects the problem of consumption, a Washington think tank says in a report co-chaired [...]