Mexico’s surging narco violence is intensifying at the edges of one of its biggest tourist hotspots

(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) High-profile incidents in Playa del Carmen in recent weeks have prompted new travel warnings from the US government. The incidents come amid spiraling violence on the peripheries of one of Mexico’s most popular tourist areas. Criminal groups in the area thrive on tourist traffic — and corruption, weak institutions, and social conditions […]

The Coast Guard is detecting a new trend among high-seas narco smugglers

US Customs and Border Patrol Since June, Coast Guard vessels patrolling the US’s southern approaches have stopped seven low-profile smuggling vessels — stealthy ships that ride low in the water to spirit illicit cargos from South America to Mexico and the US. Akin to self-propelled semi-submersibles used by smugglers for the same purpose, low-profile vessels […]

Shooting the messenger: Drug-carrying ‘narco pigeon’ taken out by police (PHOTO)

Published time: 3 Sep, 2017 15:55 Argentine police have shot and killed a homing pigeon after it was spotted smuggling drugs and other contraband into a state prison. The bird, dubbed a ‘narco pigeon’ by local media, was found to be carrying a 7.5 grams of cannabis, 44 sedative pills, and a USB stick inside […]

The US is going after the highest-profile Venezuelan target yet — ‘the narco of Aragua’

Reuters On Monday, the US government announced sanctions against the highest-profile Venezuelan official yet targeted — Vice President Tareck El Aissami, who was named to the position by President Nicolas Maduro in early January. The US Treasury Department declared El Aissami to be a specially designated narcotics trafficker for allegedly “playing a significant role in […]