Drug Policy, Global Organized Crime Index, APA-Obs

Oceania’s spike in synthetic drug markets

...Australia and New Zealand are among the world’s most lucrative consumer markets for drugs. A surge in demand over the last two decades, particularly for methamphetamines and cocaine in the 2010s, le...

Posted on 21 Jun 2024

Author(s): Virginia Comolli

HT-Obs

Who is in charge of the Haiti mission?

...While gang violence rages in Port-au-Prince, the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission designed to tackle the crisis is yet to arrive in Haiti.  Announced that it would be deployed in February...

Posted on 18 Jun 2024

Crime & Conflict, UKR-Obs

Smoke on the horizon: Trends in arms trafficking from the conflict in Ukraine

Smoke on the horizon:

...The influx of weapons to Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, added to an already large reservoir of weapons in the country (especially since the outbreak of the conflict in ...

Posted on 18 Jun 2024

Global Organized Crime Index, EUR-Obs

Red-carding sex trafficking in Germany

...On 14 June, the UEFA Euro 2024 football tournament will kick off in Munich. Over four weeks, millions of fans from around the world will flock to the German cities where matches will be played. Fans w...

Posted on 13 Jun 2024

Author(s): Daniel Brombacher, Livia Wagner

Drug Policy, WEA-Obs

Kush: FTIR spectrometer testing indicates presence of synthetic cannabinoids and nitazenes in Freetown and Bissau

Kush: FTIR spectrometer testing indicates presence of synthetic cannabinoids and nitazenes in Freetown and Bissau

... On 4 April 2024, the president of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, declared a national emergency over drugs, largely due to the devastating impacts of ‘kush’. People who use drugs (PWUD) i...

Posted on 12 Jun 2024

Author(s): Lucia Bird Ruiz-Benitez de Lugo, Phoenix Mohawk Kellye

Eco-Solve

Monitoring online illegal wildlife trade

Monitoring online illegal wildlife trade

...The illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is one of the world's most lucrative criminal activities, with much of the trade now occurring online. This burgeoning market not only poses a severe threat to biodive...

Posted on 10 Jun 2024

Drug Policy, EUR-Obs

France in the crossfire

...On 14 May 2024, four hooded gunmen rammed a prison van with two vehicles and then opened fire, killing two guards and wounding several others. Their objective was to free Mohamed Amra, a French crimin...

Posted on 10 Jun 2024

Author(s): Iris Oustinoff-Leroux, Daniel Brombacher

Drug Policy, WEA-Obs

Informing potential piloting of drug treatment courts in West Africa

Informing potential piloting of drug treatment courts in West Africa

...West Africa has long been a transit point for cocaine moving from cultivation areas in Latin America to consumption markets in Europe. Supply and retail indicators suggest that the regional cocaine ma...

Posted on 10 Jun 2024

Author(s): Joanne Csete, PhD, MPH, John Collins

Eco-Solve, APA-Obs

India is fighting its ivory poachers with a powerful tech weapon

...India is home to between 50 and 60 per cent of Asia's wild elephants. These majestic creatures are deeply intertwined with Indian life, playing a central role in religious ceremonies, cultural festiva...

Posted on 07 Jun 2024

Author(s): Sharada Balasubramanian