Over 1 mn Mexicans involved in drug trade

October 16th, 2009 Cocaine consumption doubles in Mexico in 6 yearsMEXICO CITY — The use of cocaine doubled in Mexico over the last six years, partly because the drug became more available in the country, a government report said Friday. The overall use of illegal drugs, however, increased only slightly, according to the Health Department's 2008 national addictions survey.

October 14th, 2009 %$@…&%!! Survey says Mexicans curse 20 times a dayMEXICO CITY — Caramba! A new survey says Mexican adults curse an average of 20 times a day, serving up about 1.3 billion swear words daily. The survey of 1,000 adults by the Consulta Mitofsky polling firm says one in 10 Mexicans say they don't curse at all.

September 30th, 2009 Gunmen kill 2 Canadian men at Mexican beach resortPUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico — Two Canadian men were shot to death in execution-style slayings outside an apartment building in the Mexican resort of Puerto Vallarta, authorities said Monday. Witnesses told police that a gunman approached Gordon Douglas Kendall and Jeffrey Ronald Ivans outside the building they were staying in and shot Kendall, according to Jalisco state prosecutor Guillermo Diaz.

September 23rd, 2009 Survey: 75 pct of Mexicans unhappy with countryMEXICO CITY — Mexicans are overwhelmingly unhappy with the direction of their country, and one in three would immigrate to the United States if they could, a Pew Research Center survey said Wednesday. Of those in the poll who said they would like to migrate, more than half said they would be willing to do so illegally.

September 21st, 2009 SAN JOSE - Ten Costa Rican police officers have been arrested for aiding Colombian drug traffickers, authorities said. Costa Rica's Drug Control Police (PCD) have also arrested three Colombian nationals who were allegedly involved in the crime along the Pacific coast.

September 18th, 2009 Health care issues: Proposed drug industry savingsA look at key issues in the health care debate: THE ISSUE: Is the pharmaceutical industry's agreement to lower drug costs by $80 billion over the next decade fair? THE POLITICS: The industry's trade group, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, agreed to contribute those savings to help pay for Democrats' proposed $1 trillion health care overhaul. That deal was struck with the White House and the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Democrat Max Baucus of Montana.

September 3rd, 2009 US sanctions 6 Mexicans accused of meth trade tiesMEXICO CITY — The U.S. Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on six Mexicans linked to a pharmaceutical company that allegedly diverted precursor chemicals to a methamphetamine trafficking gang.

August 29th, 2009 Mexico: anti-Mexican discrimination in US growingMEXICO CITY — A Mexican official says discrimination against Mexicans in the United States is growing and is most pronounced in areas where immigration is relatively new. Director of Consular Affairs and Protection Daniel Hernandez says that "where we are seeing the most complex, hard and deep-seated discrimination is in areas where immigration is new, where there may be fewer Mexicans." Hernandez says "precisely because there are fewer Mexicans, the discrimination is tougher," although he did not cite specific examples or causes for the trend in a talk Friday.

August 13th, 2009 Argentina seizes over 4 tons of meth ingredientsBUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentine customs officers have seized more than four tons of a chemical that can be used to make methamphetamine during an investigation into drug traffickers with ties to Mexico. Mario Crespo, director of investigations for the customs service, says a total of 4.2 metric tons (4.6 tons) of pseudoephedrine was confiscated at several government warehouses at the port in Buenos Aires on Wednesday.

June 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US is winding down efforts to destroy poppy in Afghanistan, special envoy Richard Holbrooke said Wednesday, after criticism that the zealous US approach has pushed peasants toward the Taliban. Holbrooke, special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, said President Barack Obama's administration was making "significant adjustments" from the previous government of George W.

June 21st, 2009 Top Italian Mafia fugitive arrested in CaracasROME — Authorities arrested one of Italy's most dangerous Mafia fugitives as he left his apartment in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, Italian police said Sunday. Salvatore Miceli, suspected of being a key intermediary in the drug trafficking trade, had been under surveillance by Italian and Venezuelan police for three days before he was nabbed late Saturday, Carabinieri from the Sicilian city of Trapani said in a statement.

June 12th, 2009 LUCKNOW - Three men, involved in bringing contraband drugs from Nepal and supplying them in various parts of India, were arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Sultanpur district with hashish worth Rs.25 crore, police said Friday. "The drug was being taken to Haryana from Bihar.

June 1st, 2009 Mexico remittances plunge in worst fall on recordMEXICO CITY — Money sent home by Mexicans living abroad plunged in April by more than 18 percent compared to the same period last year, the biggest monthly fall on record, the central bank said Monday. Remittances fell to $1.7 billion in April 2009 compared to $2.1 billion in April 2008, according to the bank.

May 31st, 2009 LAHORE - The Taliban is utilizing the funds generated from the opium trade to carry out its nefarious activities in Pakistan and other region of the world, American author Gretchen Peters has said. In an interview to the Voice of America, Peters said the Taliban gets more than 70 percent of their funds from opium.

April 30th, 2009 Mexico nabs drug gang leader on most-wanted listMEXICO CITY — Mexican police have arrested suspected Zeta gang leader Gregorio Sauceda Gamboa, one of Mexico's 24 most-wanted drug traffickers. Federal police say Sauceda Gamboa was detained in the border city of Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville, Texas.