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Drugs

The Ring

Is Belgium a narco-state? Brussels Mayor and N-VA opposition debate

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Culture news

DJ named alleged 'mastermind' of international drug trafficking ring

Popular Ibiza DJ Hugo Bianco has been named in a major Spain-US drug trafficking case. He is the alleged “mastermind” of an international drug trafficking network, and faces a nine-and-a-half prison sentence.

Australia

Australian police intercept cocaine shipment worth almost €500 million

The bust of nearly 3 tonnes is the country’s largest ever and is believed to hold a street value of just shy of €500 million.

Health news

EU leaders eye coordinated response to growing drug trade

European leaders on Friday urged the European Commission, EU countries and relevant agencies to strengthen coordination in a fight against a €31 billion-worth illicit drugs market.

Health news

US to invest over $700mn to tackle mental illness and homelessness

US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to allocate over $700 million (€610mn) to address mental illness “that fuels homelessness across America,” he said on Wednesday.

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EU.XL

Synthetic opioids: can Europe keep up with a drug created every week?

Fifty new drugs were detected across Europe in 2025 alone, many of them highly potent synthetic opioids. Can the EU’s drugs strategy keep pace with an increasingly dangerous and fast-moving drug landscape?

EU.XL

How is the EU tackling drug trafficking and synthetic substance use?

Europe's new drugs strategy runs to 2030, but critics warn it prioritises policing over public health. Watch the video!

EU.XL

€31bn trade, 7,600 deaths: How the EU plans to tackle the drug crisis

29 million Europeans use drugs every year, and the market has an estimated €31 billion value. The European Council has released a new framework to completely change how the EU handles this enormous problem, from enforcement to public health.

EU.XL

Does the EU have a drug problem? Take our poll

The European Council has approved its first ever drug framework to reduce drug use and drug related crimes in the EU.

EU.XL

How is the EU fighting illicit drugs? Ask the Euronews AI chatbot

The EU Council approved the new EU drugs strategy as the European Union Drugs Agency reports 7,600 estimated fatal overdoses and a growing risk from synthetic opium. But what does the strategy include? Ask the Euronews AI chatbot.

Europe News

EU warns of rising risks as Europe drug market grows complex

Europe’s drug market is growing more complex, with potent opioids, stronger cannabis and new substances raising health risks, the EU agency warns.

Europe News

Dutch police arrest four in 'enormous' drug-rape case

More arrests are possible, said police, who seized computers, telephones and data storage devices from the homes of the men arrested.

Europe News

Duterte's ICC trial to start 30 November, judge says

The Philippines left the ICC in 2019, on Duterte's instructions, but the court has ruled that it still has jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed there between 2011 and 2019.

Culture news

Man who connected Matthew Perry to 'Ketamine Queen' gets two years

The counsellor admitted he connected the actor to a dealer prosecutors dubbed the “Ketamine Queen,” later cooperating with investigators after being tracked down months after Perry’s death.

Culture news

Britney Spears avoids jail time by pleading guilty to reckless driving

Britney Spears pleaded guilty through her lawyer to a lesser charge that will allow her to avoid jail time after California prosecutors accused her of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

Europe News

Spain seizes record cocaine haul in Atlantic, Civil Guard union says

Spain's close ties with Latin America and proximity to Morocco, a top cannabis producer, make it a key entry point for drugs into Europe.

Health news

How synthetic drugs are straining health systems worldwide

Emerging patterns of substance use are creating more complex and less predictable health risks. Experts warn that health systems are struggling to keep pace, while access to treatment and prevention services remains limited.