Narcotics

Vivek Ramaswamy's family bodyguard arrested on charges of drug trafficking

Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has expressed alarm that a man who worked as his family's bodyguard is facing federal drug trafficking charges. Justin Salsburey, 43, of Bellefontaine, and his wife, Ruthann Rankin, were each charged late last month with conspiracy and possession with the intent to distribute large amounts of narcotics through the US mail. Salsburey was employed by a private security firm hired by the Ramaswamys for protective services, according to campaign spokesperson Connie Luck. She said that ARK Protection Group removed him from the family's security detail immediately upon learning of the matter. According to the criminal complaints, 261 parcels containing counterfeit OxyContin and other pills were delivered to the couple's western Ohio home between August 2024 and last month. Rankin has been removed from her employment as a schoolteacher in nearby Urbana, according to a statement posted by the district. Salsburey is being held in the .

Two Indians living illegally in US arrested for smuggling cocaine

Two Indians, living illegally in the US, have been arrested by federal authorities for smuggling more than 300 pounds of cocaine inside a semi-truck. Gurpreet Singh, 25, and Jasveer Singh, 30, were arrested by local authorities in Putnam County, Indiana on January 4 for narcotics trafficking. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said this week that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has lodged arrest detainers for them. The agency noted that the two men, who entered the US illegally, were arrested for smuggling more than 300 pounds of cocaine inside a semi-truck in Putnam County, Indiana. Both individuals were given commercial drivers licenses issued by the state of California. With a lethal dose of cocaine being as little as 1.2 grams, that is enough to kill more than 113,000 Americans, the DHS said in a statement. Gurpreet Singh had illegally entered the US on March 11, 2023 near Lukeville, Arizona and was released into the country under the Biden ...

Punjab police, BSF recover 20 kg heroin, arrest 4 in cross-border bust

An FIR has been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and further investigation is underway to trace supply routes

US military strikes 3 suspected drug-smuggling boats, killing three at sea

The U.S. military said Wednesday it struck three more boats that were allegedly smuggling drugs, killing three people while others jumped overboard and may have survived. The statement by U.S. Southern Command, which oversees South America, did not reveal where the attacks occurred. Previous attacks have been in the Caribbean Sea and in the eastern Pacific Ocean. A video posted by Southern Command on social media shows the boats traveling in a close formation, which is unusual, and the military said they were in a convoy along known narco-trafficking routes and had transferred narcotics between the three vessels prior to the strikes. The military did not provide evidence to back up the claim. The military said three people were killed when the first boat was struck, while people in the other two boats jumped overboard and distanced themselves from the vessels before they were attacked. Southern Command said it immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard to activate search and rescue .

NMC chairman stresses urgent need to prevent overuse of antibiotics

He said that the overuse of antibiotics must be prevented and the National Medical Commission is committed to working actively on these issues

Punjab's anti-drug campaign: Over 30,500 smugglers held in 205 days

More than 30,500 drug smugglers have been arrested across Punjab over the last 205 days as part of the state government's ongoing anti-narcotics campaign, officials said on Tuesday. The 'Yudh Nashian Virudh' or war against drugs campaign, launched to eradicate the menace of drugs from Punjab, completed 205 days on Monday. The Punjab Police on Monday conducted raids at 395 locations, leading to the arrest of 81 drug smugglers after registration of 59 first information reports (FIRs) across the state. With this, the number of drug smugglers arrested so far has reached 30,540 in 205 days, they said. More than 150 police teams, comprising over 1,100 police personnel, under the supervision of 74 gazetted officers, conducted these raids across the state on Monday. The raids resulted in the recovery of 922 grams of heroin, 4 kg of poppy husk, 336 intoxicant tablets/capsules and some drug money from the possession of the arrested smugglers. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has asked the ...

Trump announces third US military strike on alleged drug-smuggling vessel

President Donald Trump said Friday the US military has carried out its third fatal strike against an alleged drug smuggling vessel this month. Trump in a social media posting said the strike killed three and was carried out against a vessel affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization conducting narcotrafficking in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility. He did not provide more precise details about the location of the strike, and the White House and Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking illicit narcotics, and was transiting along a known narcotrafficking passage enroute to poison Americans, Trump said in the post. The US twice this month carried out strikes against alleged drug-smuggling vessels that had originated from Venezuela.

Trump's Caribbean boat strikes spark fresh debate over legality, threats

The circumstances of the strikes were still unclear and questions lingered about the true threat posed to the US

Modi govt determined to wipe out drug menace from India, says Amit Shah

The Narendra Modi government is determined to wipe out all kinds of narcotics from the nation and is making an all-out effort to achieve this goal, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday. Addressing the Second National Conference of Heads of Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of States and Union Territories, he also said the time has come to change the scale of action against the drug menace so that there are more successes in the coming days. The conference, organised by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), began here on Tuesday. The home minister said Prime Minister Modi has set a target of 2047 to make India a fully developed and great nation. To achieve this dream of PM Modi, the country has to be fully secure, he said. "The Modi government is determined to wipe out the drug menace from the country and is making all-out efforts to achieve this goal," Shah said. "PM Modi has set forth the vision of creating an India by 2047 that will be the world's number one in every aspec

Over 22,000 narcotic smugglers held in Punjab's anti drug campaign

Over 22,000 narcotic smugglers have been arrested so far under a state-level campaign against drugs, officials said on Friday. Under the 'Yudh Nashian Virudh' (war against drugs) campaign, Punjab Police on Thursday arrested 113 drug smugglers and recovered 1.5 kg heroin, 5 kg opium, and 31,237 intoxicant pills from their possession. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested in 138 days of the campaign has reached 22,377. Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla stated that over 180 police teams, comprising more than 1,300 police personnel, under the supervision of 93 gazetted officers, conducted raids at as many as 433 locations across the state on Thursday. The operation led to the registration of 81 FIRs across the state, Shukla said, adding police teams also checked as many as 483 suspicious persons in the exercise. The state government has also constituted a five-member cabinet subcommittee led by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema to monitor the war against ...

Woman held at Mumbai airport with cocaine packed inside biscuit boxes

The woman was allegedly carrying over six kilograms of cocaine stuffed in 300 capsules, which were packed inside six boxes of Oreo biscuits and three boxes of chocolates

Govt to amend existing laws to invoke MCOCA against drug peddlers: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the state government will amend the existing laws so that drug peddlers are booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). The amendment will be done in the ongoing monsoon session of the state legislature, he said. Replying to a question in the legislative council, Fadnavis said that action is taken against those involved in drug peddling and at present they are booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. However, those arrested get bail and again resume their activities, Fadnavis said. "The government is amending laws so that these people can be arrested under the MCOCA. The amendment will be done in the ongoing monsoon session of the state legislature," the chief minister said.

Narcotics biggest threat as it makes way into states, towns: Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has warned that narcotics are reaching every corner of India, calling for sharper intelligence, inter-agency coordination, and swift enforcement

Delhi Police cracks down on illegal narcotic medicines racket, 1 arrested

A team of Anti Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of Delhi Police in South West District arrested one drug peddler and seized a total 83090 tablets of banned pharma drugs (Alprazolam & Zolpidem) and 26,000 packets of prohibited foreign cigarettes from Mehram Nagar area of Delhi Cantt, police said on Wednesday.According to a statement, the crackdown on the prohibited narcotics medicine unfolded when Delhi police received credible information regarding certain international cargo courier service operators in the Mehram Nagar area who are involved in supplying these medicines and imported cigarettes.The information revealed that the peddlers have set up a few godowns in the Mehram Nagar area where these prohibited items are being stored.The ANTF team of Delhi police led further investigation and identified the suspect's location in Mehram Nagar. The team laid trap near the identified premises and arrested the accessed identified as Sanjay Kumar Pandey, the statement said.During the search

₹1,800 crore worth of drugs dumped at sea off Gujarat coast seized

The smugglers, upon spotting the approaching patrol vessel, dumped the drugs into the Arabian Sea and fled toward international waters

Drug addiction a quasi pandemic; need strict compliance of rules: Bombay HC

Drug trafficking is a serious crime and drug addiction is a "quasi pandemic", the Bombay High Court has said, stressing the need for authorities to scrupulously follow the mandated rules while arresting a person and during recovery procedure. People dealing in drugs in the society need to be dealt with an iron fist but it cannot be at the cost of liberty of an individual, a single bench of Justice Milind Jadhav said in an order passed on Tuesday. The court made the remarks while granting bail to four persons arrested in 2023 for alleged possession of medicinal drugs under provisions of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The accused, while seeking bail, raised procedural irregularities by authorities when they were arrested and also while carrying out search of their residential premises. The bench in its order said the prosecuting agency has to strictly follow the procedure laid down in law during recovery procedure. "This is because the liberty of an accu

Trump's aid freeze disrupts anti-narcotics programme at Mexican ports

The initiative provided Mexico's Navy with training and equipment to improve screening of cargo entering and exiting the Port of Manzanillo, the nation's busiest container port

Narco terror case: SC calls charges 'serious', denies bail plea of accused

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to hear the bail plea of an accused in an alleged narco terrorism case, relating to the seizure of 532 kilogram of heroin and 52 kilogram of mixed narcotics worth Rs 2,700 crore at Attari. A bench comprising Justices M M Sundresh and Prashant Kumar Mishra refused to agree with the submissions of senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for one Tariq Ahmed Lone, that he should be granted bail as the contraband was not recovered from him. The charges are very serious, the bench said while dismissing the bail plea. The accused persons were booked and chargesheeted for allegedly trying to smuggle the contraband into India from Pakistan through Attari Integrated Check Post in 2019. Lone, a resident of Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir, moved the top court against the October 4, 2024 order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court denying him bail in the case. A special NIA court in Mohali rejected his bail plea on February 11, 2021. Gonsalves sought bail by

Govt reports 55% rise to Rs 25,330 cr of narcotics seizures in 2024

Narcotics worth over Rs 25,330 crore were seized by various agencies during 2024, an increase of 55 per cent as compared to the seizures made in 2023, an official statement said on Monday. The action in line with the zero-tolerance policy against drugs of the Centre was undertaken by all law enforcement agencies, including the Narcotics Control Bureau. The trend showed that seizure of addictive synthetic drugs, cocaine and pharmaceutical drugs used as psychotropic substances has increased significantly, which are also of much higher value, the statement said. "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while implementing zero-tolerance policy against drugs, in 2024, all law enforcement agencies across the country, including the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), seized narcotics worth approximately ?25,330 crore, which is more than 55% higher compared to the ?16,100 crore worth of drugs seized in 2023," it said. The increase in seizure is the result of 'Bottom to Top' and '

Vehicles used for ferrying drugs to be confiscated post trial: SC

The Supreme Court on Tuesday held vehicles used for ferrying drugs could only be confiscated after the conclusion of the case's trial when the accused was convicted or acquitted or discharged. A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Karol and Manmohan passed the verdict and said there was no specific bar under the the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act against the interim release of seized vehicles, provided the owner was not complicit in the offense. "Upon a reading of the NDPS Act, this court is of the view that the seized vehicles can be confiscated," the bench said, "by the trial court only on conclusion of the trial when the accused is convicted or acquitted or discharged." Further, even when the court decides the vehicle should be confiscated, it must give an opportunity to the person to be heard, it said. The seized vehicle, however, was not liable to be confiscated if its owner proved the vehicle was used by the accused person without their knowledge or ...