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Drugs

Europe News

Dutch centre warns about potentially lethal Trump-shaped ecstasy pills

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Health news

Italy and France announce international meeting on addiction prevention and recovery

Italy and France, co-founders of the European Coalition Against Drugs (ECAD), on Thursday announced an international meeting on prevention and addiction recovery. The summit will be held on 23 October 2026 in Italy.

Europe News

Spanish police dismantle major Mediterranean migrant smuggling network

Investigators believe the group was responsible for at least 64 migrant smuggling operations in which more than 2,000 people were brought to Spain, generating profits of more than €24 million.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka deploys troops to contain growing prison unrest

Officials have attributed the growing unrest to acute overcrowding. Sri Lanka's prisons hold about four times their intended capacity.

Europe News

Alleged operator of major darknet drugs platform charged in Germany

The suspect was arrested at his home in Barcelona in June 2025 by a special unit of the Spanish National Police and was later extradited to Germany.

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Europe News

Police seize more than 2.6 tonnes of cocaine in Atlantic

Italian, Spanish and Portuguese police intercepted a high-speed boat in the Atlantic with over 2.6 tonnes of cocaine; four suspects were arrested.

Business

AstraZeneca quarterly net profit rises 2% on strong cancer drug sales

Strong cancer drug sales lifted Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca’s second-quarter earnings above expectations, helping the company maintain its 2026 outlook.

World News

Cat caught trying to smuggle drugs into Russian prison

In Russia, offenders reportedly used a cat to smuggle illegal drugs into Correctional Colony No. 17 in the city of Nizhny Novgorod.

The Ring

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

Brussels and Antwerp have seen rising drug-related shootings and turf wars among trafficking networks. Has Belgium lost control of the drug issue? Brussels Mayor Philippe Close and conservative opposition politician Mathias Vanden Borre (N-VA) go head-to-head in this edition.

Europe News

80 vials of fentanyl stolen from Rome hospital

80 vials have disappeared from the capital's Jewish hospital pharmacy, with no sign of a break‑in. The synthetic opioid, 100 times stronger than morphine and a national emergency in North America, sparks an emergency meeting at Palazzo Chigi.

Europe News

Eight arrested in UK probe into men drugging and raping partners

As part of a separate operation into such offences, EU law enforcement agency Europol said the group of countries had identified 156 victims and perpetrators of drug-facilitated sexual assaults.

Australia

Thai national arrested in Australia on suspicion of importing heroin

The 26-year-old woman was on duty on board an international flight when she arrived at Melbourne Airport on Thursday.

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.

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?