Latest news with #drugcrimes
CBC
14-07-2025
- CBC
No charges against police officer whose computer ended up in criminal's possession
A man under investigation for drug crimes had access to sensitive police information through a Fredericton police officer's old computer. An investigation has concluded the officer won't face criminal charges.
The Guardian
08-07-2025
- The Guardian
Saudi Arabia executing ‘horrifying' number of foreigners for drug crimes
Saudi Arabia has carried out a 'horrifying' number of executions for drug crimes over the past decade, most of which were of foreign nationals, according to Amnesty International. Almost 600 people have been executed over the past decade for drug-related offences, Amnesty International has found, three-quarters of whom were foreign nationals from countries including Pakistan, Syria, Yemen, Nigeria and Egypt. After a temporary moratorium on drug-related capital punishments between 2021 and 2022, the executions jumped to record levels, with 122 in 2024 and 118 so far this year up until the end of last month. With little international scrutiny of what Amnesty describes as 'grossly unfair trials' and a 'chilling disregard for human life', the rights organisation warned that the death toll would only increase. Dana Ahmed, Amnesty International's Middle East researcher, said: 'We are witnessing a truly horrifying trend, with foreign nationals being put to death at a startling rate for crimes that should never carry the death penalty. 'Convincing states to call out and condemn Saudi rights abuses was never easy, given its deep pockets and geopolitical heft. With ongoing conflicts in the Middle East … scrutiny has dwindled even further,' she said. Amnesty said it had found foreign nationals who had been 'deceived and exploited' after being lured into drug trafficking while migrating for work, with rewards that did not justify the risk of a death penalty for their crime. It highlighted the case of seven Ethiopians and a Somali man now on death row accused of trafficking 153kg of cannabis estimated to be worth about $3.8m (£2.79m). According to the men's testimony in court documents, they were recruited with the promise of a 'meagre $267 per person'. The limited education and disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds of some foreign nationals on death row increased their risk of exploitation and made it more difficult for them to access legal representation in Saudi Arabia, according to Amnesty. Its report found a lack of access to legal representatives, inadequate consular support and no access to effective interpretation. At least four cases documented by Amnesty involved people who reported being subjected to torture or other ill treatment during pre-trial detention to extract confessions. Many also did not know the status of their appeals or when their execution might occur, with some only informed by prison officials a day before they were put to death. Kristine Beckerle, Amnesty International's deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said: 'The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. 'Saudi Arabia's allies in the international community must exert urgent pressure on the authorities to halt their execution spree and uphold international human rights obligations.' Saudi officials were contacted for comment.
The Guardian
08-07-2025
- The Guardian
Saudi Arabia executing ‘horrifying' number of foreigners for drug crimes
Saudi Arabia has carried out a 'horrifying' number of executions for drug crimes over the past decade, most of which were of foreign nationals, according to Amnesty International. Almost 600 people have been executed over the past decade for drug-related offences, Amnesty International has found, three-quarters of whom were foreign nationals from countries including Pakistan, Syria, Yemen, Nigeria and Egypt. After a temporary moratorium on drug-related capital punishments between 2021 and 2022, the executions jumped to record levels, with 122 in 2024 and 118 so far this year up until the end of last month. With little international scrutiny of what Amnesty describes as 'grossly unfair trials' and a 'chilling disregard for human life', the rights organisation warned that the death toll would only increase. Dana Ahmed, Amnesty International's Middle East researcher, said: 'We are witnessing a truly horrifying trend, with foreign nationals being put to death at a startling rate for crimes that should never carry the death penalty. 'Convincing states to call out and condemn Saudi rights abuses was never easy, given its deep pockets and geopolitical heft. With ongoing conflicts in the Middle East … scrutiny has dwindled even further,' she said. Amnesty said it had found foreign nationals who had been 'deceived and exploited' after being lured into drug trafficking while migrating for work, with rewards that did not justify the risk of a death penalty for their crime. It highlighted the case of seven Ethiopians and a Somali man now on death row accused of trafficking 153kg of cannabis estimated to be worth about $3.8m (£2.79m). According to the men's testimony in court documents, they were recruited with the promise of a 'meagre $267 per person'. The limited education and disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds of some foreign nationals on death row increased their risk of exploitation and made it more difficult for them to access legal representation in Saudi Arabia, according to Amnesty. Its report found a lack of access to legal representatives, inadequate consular support and no access to effective interpretation. At least four cases documented by Amnesty involved people who reported being subjected to torture or other ill treatment during pre-trial detention to extract confessions. Many also did not know the status of their appeals or when their execution might occur, with some only informed by prison officials a day before they were put to death. Kristine Beckerle, Amnesty International's deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said: 'The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. 'Saudi Arabia's allies in the international community must exert urgent pressure on the authorities to halt their execution spree and uphold international human rights obligations.' Saudi officials were contacted for comment.
The Herald
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Herald
‘We want arrests, not statements' — ANCYL president slams SAPS amid explosive drug allegations
'His role as a commissioner of police is to arrest those who do crime. We don't want him to be a pop star. If he wants to contest politics, he must come to branches of the ANC and contest. But if he wants to be a commissioner, he must arrest those who do crime. We don't want statements, we want arrests.' Malatji also made it clear no one should be above the law, not even the police minister. 'If the minister of police is doing crime, he must be arrested. We are not a lawless country,' he said. While Malatji's comments sparked support from some, many social media users criticised them as hasty, given the serious and unproven nature of the allegations. Responding to the public reaction on X, Malatji doubled down. 'It's heartbreaking to learn through allegations that some leaders in our country are either working with drug lords, part of drug syndicates or protecting drug criminals,' he said. 'As someone who despises drugs, this is deeply painful. Drugs have ravaged our youth, creating unemployed and unemployable young people across South Africa. 'To hear certain leaders might be complicit in syndicates is infuriating and hurtful,' Malatji said. 'We must take a stand to clean this country and remove all drug dealers and their enablers in all corridors of power.' Mchunu and Sibiya said the allegations levelled against them by Mkhwanazi are without merit. President Cyril Ramaphosa described the situation as 'a matter of grave national security concern'. He pledged to outline a course of action on his return from the Brics leaders summit in Brazil. TimesLIVE
South China Morning Post
16-06-2025
- South China Morning Post
In the 1980s, South Korea was a meth exporter. Now, its drug labs are back
Drug manufacturing crimes, which had largely disappeared in South Korea since the government's war on drugs in the 1990s, are making a troubling return. As authorities ramp up efforts to block drug smuggling across borders, criminals are increasingly turning to producing narcotics domestically using imported chemical precursors. In 2023, 23,022 people were caught for drug-related offences in South Korea, the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said on Sunday. While this was a 16.6 per cent decrease from the record high of 27,611 in 2022, the figure still represented a nearly 20-fold jump from the 1,190 cases reported in 1985, when drug crime statistics were first recorded. The number of drug manufacturing offences, excluding cannabis-related cases, is also on the rise. From zero in 2005, the figure climbed to four in 2010, nine in 2020, and six in 2023, reaching 19 in 2024, the highest since type-specific statistics began in 2000. In the 1980s, South Korea faced international embarrassment as a methamphetamine-exporting country. But tougher crackdowns eventually dismantled domestic labs. South Korean police officers cross a road in Seoul earlier this month. Photo: EPA-EFE Now, with border seizures intensifying – over 1,170kg (2,579lbs) of drugs were confiscated last year – there is a growing trend of smuggling in precursor chemicals to produce narcotics within South Korea.
