International

US bets on new approach to anti-drug policies in Latin America

Photo; AP

February 14th |

The Biden administration will redouble its domestic efforts and binational cooperation with Mexico to combat the fentanyl crisis in the United States, which has resulted in 70,000 overdose deaths annually.

In an interview with Voice of America, the director of the White House Office of Drug Control Policy, Rahul Gupta, indicated that the fentanyl crisis “does not begin or end at the border”, despite the fact that, according to official data, the vast majority of the synthetic opioid is produced by Mexican cartels and enters the country through the southern border.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reported seizing enough fentanyl in 2022 to potentially have killed the entire U.S. population.

Gupta acknowledged that “there is no question” that “mistakes have been made in the past,” referring to U.S. anti-drug policy and its cooperation with countries in the Western Hemisphere. His statement is an alternate response to the position of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who has called the anti-drug policy of several U.S. administrations “a failure”.

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Question: What are the next steps this administration will take on the fentanyl crisis?

Answer: It is a priority for President Biden. When he went to Mexico to talk to President Lopez Obrador, as well as Prime Minister Trudeau, this was one of the most important things he also talked about. It’s important that we make sure that we have educational campaigns, especially so that children are aware and understand that they have the power not only to be aware of this deadly threat, but also to have Naloxone, the antidote, so that they can help their friends and others. In addition, making sure that we have the treatment available to everyone who needs it – we know that too many Americans today cannot get the treatment – then, along with the antidote, getting more people treated.

In this administration, President Biden highlighted how we have reached the highest levels of fentanyl seizures at the border, double that in 2020 and four times that in 2019. Why? Because we have implemented technology to be able to detect more. But the problem doesn’t start or end at the border. We have to work with Mexico. We have to work with them because we have a shared responsibility for the safety, security and health for the people of both countries.

What exactly is Mexico’s role in this strategy?

Mexico has a very important role as our neighbor to the south, as well as a long-time partner. Our relationship is often complex, but we know that people in Mexico are dying from overdoses and fentanyl intoxication just as they are in the United States. So, it’s very important that we work with a shared sense of responsibility, make sure that we are working to protect our country, that we are going after the bad actors who are intent on harming Americans and Mexicans.

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At the same time, we are working to improve public health treatment and the antidote Naloxone, or Narcan, and make it available to anyone who needs it.

When President Biden says the U.S. will hold producers and traffickers accountable here in the U.S., how much does the U.S. trust Mexico on this issue?

It’s very important. As you know, in this administration we have some of the highest numbers of extraditions. We have made sure that we provide assistance to Mexico, in partnership, as a key player in helping us, but we also want to make sure that traffickers, manufacturers and others are held accountable for their actions in taking advantage of vulnerable people. This is important because we want to make sure that they do not profit at the expense of unsuspecting people dying and being poisoned. So it is important, whether in the United States or across the border, that our governments hold bad actors accountable in a strong way.

How close or far do you think the United States is from reversing the trend of fentanyl overdose deaths?

If you look at it, we’ve had over 107,000 [deaths]. And, clearly, the numbers were rising before the pandemic and were exacerbated during the pandemic for obvious reasons, like social isolation, the initial shutdown of treatment and all of that. During the pandemic, especially with President Biden’s leadership, what we’ve seen is more telehealth, which means more health care assistance to provide treatment to people in rural areas, in underserved communities through telemedicine.

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We also saw the removal of barriers. And we have also seen an increase in prescribing of antidotes and treatments. Because of some of these activities, combined with the seizure of more fentanyl and the prosecution of traffickers, we are seeing in five months in a row a decrease in the number of people dying from fentanyl overdoses. But let me tell you, that’s not enough, because, while we’re happy to see nearly 3,000 lives saved, we have a long way to go.

Does this White House believe that the war on drugs is a “failed campaign,” as the president of Colombia has called it?

Let me tell you this: when President Petro took office in Colombia early last year, I helped him and worked with him as the first U.S. delegation. We had a good long conversation about it, and I said, “look, we recognize that not all U.S. policies have proven to have been successful, but the important part is that we have a problem where an American dies every five minutes all day long. You have a problem where the economy is very dependent on cocaine production. We need to work productively in our 200-year relationship to see how we can secure a future for both the American people and the Colombian people in a way that complements each other.

And we need to see a way forward that is humane, that protects the environment. Because I flew over with Vice President Marquez and I saw the destruction of illegal mining in the Amazon, illegal crops, and it’s not helpful for Colombians, even because they are looking for a good life, good quality of life. So, it is very important for us when we think about this, to do it in a way that is productive and that is mutually beneficial for security and health.

But would you call the war on drugs a “failed campaign”?

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The way I would put this would be: we didn’t even know a few decades ago that addiction was a brain disease. We didn’t know that it is not a disease of choice but a disease of the brain that affects the whole body. We also didn’t know, we now know, that incarcerating yourself doesn’t get you out of trouble. So what are we doing now? We are trying to work to bring treatment to every prison and jail in the United States.

So, what I would answer is very clear, mistakes have been made in the past, there’s no question about that. However, what we need going forward is to look at how we work with public health, public safety, collectively to solve this for Americans, solve this for other people and countries around the world, and the urgency demands that we do it, and we do it in a hurry.

And how do you frame this strategy on drug producers in Colombia and other countries in the Western Hemisphere? Because here in the United States, of course, there is a framework on the public health issue, but they are also trying to catch the bad actors in this. So how do you find that part of this strategy?

When you look at a single mother in Tumaco, Colombia, who is producing coca for her children as a way of life to survive, it’s not so much about crime as it is about livelihood. So, the way we look at this is that we have to make sure that these farmers have the ability to own their own land. Let’s make sure that they have the ability to grow crops that can be exported globally and that they can make a living. It’s very important that as President [Biden] talks a lot about jobs and the importance of jobs, infrastructure in the United States, it’s the same in a way for every country in the world that we have to figure out how to get people gainfully employed, give hope and the ability to have that economic development as a way to address that. And those are exactly some of the things that we’re going to be working with countries like Colombia.

What about the other countries in the Western Hemisphere? How is cooperation on this drug issue?

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We know that trafficking and smuggling is a hundreds of billions of dollars business. We know that drugs not only kill Americans, but the profits come back to cause destabilization, more crime and corruption and violence [in those countries]. It’s very important to us as a world leader that we continue to work as good partners with other countries in Latin America. And there is a history of us working with them, but we make sure that we are doing it in a way that gives us results, mutual respect and cooperation so that we can put the weight of the law on the bad actors, while ensuring that people everywhere have the opportunity to live in a safe and healthy way.

And finally, what about Venezuela? There is no relationship or cooperation between the two governments, of course, but Venezuela remains a key player in this industry.

Well, we will continue to focus with our partners in Colombia, and also in Ecuador, to make sure that the people there get the support in terms of both the people coming from Venezuela and the resources. That work will continue, but I don’t have anything new to report on that at this point from a policy change perspective.

International

WHO worker killed as Israeli forces fire on Gaza medical convoy

An employee of the World Health Organization (WHO) was killed on Monday in Gaza Strip after Israeli forces opened fire on a medical convoy transporting patients for evacuation, according to witnesses and official accounts.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the vehicle approached troops in a “threatening manner,” alleging that the driver accelerated toward soldiers despite warning shots. “The troops fired warning shots. The vehicle continued advancing, and additional fire was directed at it,” the military said in a statement.

The army also claimed the vehicle lacked clear markings and was therefore treated as a potential threat.

However, survivors disputed that account. Raed Aslan, a passenger in the convoy, told reporters in Khan Younis that the vehicles were clearly marked with WHO insignia. “The vehicle was clearly identified as belonging to the WHO,” he said, adding that an Israeli tank blocked the road and fired at the driver despite the route being empty.

The convoy was transporting patients to the Rafah crossing, the only exit point available for medical evacuations abroad, as Israel does not permit transfers to Jerusalem or the West Bank.

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The incident adds to a series of controversial cases involving Israeli military actions against humanitarian convoys. In April 2024, seven workers from World Central Kitchen were killed in an Israeli strike in Deir al-Balah. The military initially cited a “misidentification,” despite the vehicles being clearly marked.

Similarly, in March 2025, 15 paramedics, rescuers, and a UN worker were killed near Rafah. Israeli authorities first claimed emergency lights were off, but video evidence later contradicted that assertion.

A subsequent investigation by organizations including Forensic Architecture found that Israeli forces fired hundreds of rounds at the convoy, and that the vehicles were later destroyed and buried along with the bodies before being recovered days later.

The latest incident is likely to intensify scrutiny over the conduct of military operations in Gaza, particularly regarding the safety of humanitarian personnel and medical evacuations.

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International

NASA’s Orion sets record as farthest crewed mission from Earth

NASA’s Orion spacecraft set a new milestone on Monday, becoming the crewed space mission to travel the farthest distance from Earth, surpassing the record set by Apollo 13, which reached 400,171 kilometers from the planet.

The Orion capsule, part of the Artemis II mission, achieved the record at 12:57 p.m. Eastern Time as it continued its journey toward the gravitational sphere of influence of the Moon.

The milestone came less than an hour before the crew was scheduled to begin observation activities during its planned lunar flyby.

“From here, in the ‘Integrity Cabin,’ as we surpass the greatest distance humans have ever traveled from Earth, we do so honoring the extraordinary efforts and achievements of those who came before us in human space exploration,” said Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

The mission, which launched last Wednesday from Cape Canaveral, is designed to orbit the Moon and return to Earth within ten days. According to the schedule, the spacecraft is expected to begin its lunar flyby at 2:45 p.m. ET, concluding around 9:20 p.m.

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International

Petro accuses top guerrilla leader of bribing officers to evade military strikes

Colombian President defends his government's social reforms

The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, said Saturday that the country’s most wanted guerrilla leader is bribing members of the security forces to obtain advance information and evade military operations.

According to the government, Iván Mordisco, a dissident leader of the now-defunct FARC, is currently on the run in the जंगल following an الجيش bombardment last week that killed six of his closest collaborators in the department of Vaupés.

Authorities believe the guerrilla commander had been at the site shortly before the operation. “He buys off the commanders who are supposed to capture him; that’s how he escapes the bombings, but leaves his own people to die. He is warned before every strike,” Petro wrote on social media platform X.

The six individuals killed in the strike were part of Mordisco’s security ring, according to Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez.

Local media reported that one of those killed was a woman known as “alias Lorena,” who was allegedly Mordisco’s partner and the mother of his child.

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After failed attempts to negotiate peace, Petro’s administration has shifted to a more aggressive military strategy against the guerrilla leader. In recent months, three of Mordisco’s brothers have been captured and now face charges including homicide, kidnapping, and arms trafficking.