International

H: the heroin derivative ravaging Ecuador’s poor

Photo: MARCOS PIN / AFP

January 20 | By AFP | Karla Pesantes |

Shaking and delirious, Rina ambles half-dressed beside a dump in Ecuador’s port city of Guayaquil.

She is under the psychotropic effects of “H,” a cheap and addictive drug that is ravaging the poorest sectors of Ecuadoran society.

The scene was captured on video on New Year’s Eve and relayed to the municipal health center, which came to her aid.

“When I consume (the drug) I hear voices,” the 24-year-old, who is using a pseudonym, told AFP.

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For the second time in less than a year she is following a drug rehabilitation program.

In her desperation, Rina stole and even worked as a prostitute to buy H, a heroin-based white powder that can be snorted or smoked and is sold for $1 a gram.

It is much cheaper and much more toxic than cocaine, which goes for $3 to $5.

H is cut with all sorts of toxic materials that can harm humans.

“We have found lime, cement, ether, rat poison and even ketamine, an analgesic used on horses,” in the white powder, said psychiatrist Julieta Sagnay, from the Guayaquil-based Neuroscience Institute, an NGO that supports drug addicts.

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Guayaquil, a city of almost three million people, has become a hub of drug trafficking and addiction.

Officials say 162 kilograms of H were seized in 2022.

Sagnay, an expert with more than 30 years of experience treating addicts, says the number of patients she treats for H use is increasing every day.

And their physical condition deteriorates quicker than other patients.

In just six months, H addicts are constantly moving their legs, scratching, and not sleeping or eating.

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Withdrawal symptoms are so severe, says Sagnay, that it is unbearable without at least eight days of pharmaceutical treatment.

‘They beat me’

There are three public clinics in Guayaquil for addicts and there are more than 30 private ones but they can cost up to $700 a month in a country where the minimum wage is just $450.

Some addicts turn to back-alley detox centers.

“They beat me, they poured a bucket of cold water on me and we ate chicken heads every day,” said Hugo Mora, who was treated four years ago in a dirty, dark, illegal center with no windows.

It only cost $150 but it was a failure.

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After trying out two such clinics, the 24-year-old street vendor spent a week in a municipal hospital, where he was treated in a large room with more than a dozen beds.

The hospital takes in up to 150 daily patients, 90 percent of whom are suffering from an H addiction.

The InSight Crime think tank says H arrived in Guayaquil in 2011, pushed by Colombian cartels hoping to develop the heroin market.

But the H powder contains less than three percent heroin, according to forensic psychologist and retired police officer Segundo Romero.

“As there is so little pure drug, the addict needs to consume more and buy more,” said the forensic psychologist.

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He told a story about meeting addicts in prison whose faces were covered in dust.

“As they no longer had any drugs, they had scratched the walls and put white paint in their nostrils,” he said.

With just one gram of heroin, a dealer can make 40 grams of H, with the mix of ingredients provoking psychotic symptoms and hallucinations.

In Cerro las Cabras, the drug supermarket in Duran, a town opposite Guayaquil along the Guayas river, H sales bring in $1 million a month, according to official estimates.

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International

Pilot killed and two Pennsylvania state troopers injured in mid-air collision

A pilot was killed and two Pennsylvania state police officers were injured when a Cessna 150 airplane collided with the helicopter they were traveling in during a routine training exercise at a regional airport in the state.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro identified the officers as Corporal Bryce Corman and Trooper Jason Mills, members of the Pennsylvania State Police aviation unit. Both are expected to recover from their injuries, according to ABC.

The county coroner’s office identified the pilot as 57-year-old Paul Sokoloski.

George Bivens, acting commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police, said the collision occurred at around 6:50 p.m. Wednesday. The helicopter was flying several feet above a grassy area near a runway at Carlisle Regional Airport when the small plane approached from behind.

According to investigators, the Cessna suddenly veered to the right moments before the collision, striking the helicopter’s tail rotor before also hitting its main rotor.

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The airplane crashed a short distance away and broke into several pieces, while the helicopter lost its tail and other components before crashing on its side.

Police said Corporal Corman opened a window and helped Trooper Mills escape from the helicopter because they feared the aircraft could catch fire.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.

International

Argentina’s Milei Links Low Birth Rates to Abortion and Feminism

Argentine President Javier Milei on Thursday blamed feminism and the legalization of abortion for the country’s declining birth rate, arguing that the demographic trend is creating economic and pension-system challenges.

“We are paying a very high price for the madness of the green scarves,” Milei said during a speech at the Council of the Americas in Buenos Aires, referring to the symbol associated with the feminist movement and the campaign for legal abortion in Argentina.

According to Milei, Argentina is failing to reach the population growth and birth rates needed to maintain demographic replacement.

He also linked the decline in births to future challenges for the country’s pension system and workforce.

“That passion for killing children in the mother’s womb is costing us in terms of growth and pensions. It is also costing us in terms of human capital,” the president said.

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Milei has consistently opposed abortion, which has been legal in Argentina since 2020. The law was considered a major victory for the feminist movement across Latin America at the time of its approval.

In February 2024, lawmakers from Milei’s La Libertad Avanza (LLA) party introduced a bill seeking to repeal voluntary abortion legislation.

Under Argentina’s current law, abortion is legal, safe and free of charge up to the 14th week of pregnancy. After that period, it is permitted when the pregnancy poses a risk to the woman’s life or health, or when it resulted from rape.

Milei has repeatedly criticized abortion

The Argentine president has also criticized abortion and feminism in international forums. During his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2024, he attacked the feminist movement and denounced what he described as the “bloody agenda of abortion.”

His latest comments come amid growing concerns over Argentina’s demographic outlook and the potential long-term effects of declining birth rates on economic growth, the labor force and social security.

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International

Virginia Police Arrest Salvadoran Man in Great Falls Woman’s Killing

Alexis Antonio Cedillos-Campos, 19, identified by federal officials as an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, was arrested in connection with the death of Carmen Lizet Puch, 42, who was found dead Monday, the Fairfax County Police Department said.

Authorities said Cedillos-Campos and Puch were coworkers and were also involved in an “intimate relationship.”

“Our victim suffered numerous stab wounds in a truly brutal and indescribable manner,” Police Chief Kevin Davis said during a news conference Wednesday.

Investigators said surveillance video showed Cedillos-Campos at the restaurant where he and Puch worked, allegedly taking a fixed-blade knife, a pair of black latex gloves and a bottle of water before leaving.

“He left with the intent to harm and kill the victim,” Davis said.

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Cedillos-Campos was arrested Wednesday morning in Maryland and confessed to the killing, according to Davis. He is awaiting extradition to Virginia. Authorities have not said whether he has an attorney representing him.

The Department of Homeland Security said Cedillos-Campos had previously been arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in 2024 after allegedly crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally near El Paso, Texas.