International
Panama seized more than 30 tons of drugs from January to March
The Ministry of Public Security of Panama (MSPP) reported on Sunday that it has seized more than 31.5 tons of drugs in the first quarter of 2024.
“The security agencies have seized in the first three months of the year, more than 31.5 tons of drugs,” the MSPP said on social network X.
The drug was seized in “122 anti-drug operations” in which 136 people linked to drug trafficking were captured; of these, 104 were Panamanians and 32 were foreigners, mostly Colombian.
The report does not specify the type of drug, but historically in Panama the largest drug confiscations are cocaine.
The last seizure, of “13 packages with drugs”, which were transported in a craft boat, was reported this Sunday by the Ministry of Security in the Narganá community, an island that belongs to the Guna Yala region, northeast of Panama, where four people who were not identified were captured.
One of the largest confiscations occurred on February 29, when authorities discovered five tons of cocaine hidden in containers with bananas on a ship whose destination was Spain.
The ship, with the flag of Malta, left Guayaquil (Ecuador) and was registered in a port in the Caribbean province of Colón, where the drug was found by the National Aeronaval Service (Senan).
In 2023, Panama seized 119 tons of drugs, an amount less than the record figure of 138 tons in 2022.
Panama is the point of passage for the drug that, coming from South America, mainly Colombia, is destined for the United States, the largest consumer of cocaine in the world.
International
Fire in India’s Jhansi Hospital kills 10 newborns
At least 10 newborns have died following a fire in the neonatal unit of a hospital in Jhansi, India, which was attributed to a faulty oxygen machine, authorities reported on Saturday, adding that 39 babies were rescued.
“Unfortunately, 10 infants have died,” said Brajesh Pathak, Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, regarding the fire that occurred on Friday night.
The fire started at 10:30 PM (17:00 GMT) at the Maharani Lakshmibai Medical University in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
The rescued babies, all only a few days old, were moved to another area of the hospital for treatment.
Dr. Narendra Senga, the director of a medical faculty attached to the hospital, also confirmed the death toll of 10 infants.
International
Seven british citizens arrested in Spain for hashish trafficking 1.2 tons seized
Seven British citizens were arrested in Spain for hashish trafficking in an operation that led to the seizure of 1.2 tons of the drug, which is made from cannabis resin, the Spanish Ministry of the Interior reported on Saturday.
“National Police agents, in collaboration with the National Crime Agency (NCA) of the UK, have dismantled an organization allegedly dedicated to transporting drugs in trucks in Marbella and Elche,” the ministry stated in a press release.
“Agents seized 1,200 kilos of hashish and arrested seven British citizens,” the report specified.
The drugs were found in Marbella and Fuengirola, in southern Spain, as well as in Elche, in the southeastern region.
Part of the hashish was hidden in “large plastic barrels filled with fine mortar sand.”
In addition, the police seized over €63,000 in cash, five passenger vehicles, and a heavy-duty truck.
All of the detainees have been placed in pretrial detention.
Spain serves as the gateway for most of the hashish sold in Europe, due to its proximity to North Africa, the main production area.
In 2022, Spain seized 324.7 tons of hashish, according to the latest available official annual data.
International
Sinaloa cartel network dismantled in Spain following kidnapping and ransom incident
Fourteen members of the Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel were arrested in Spain following an investigation that began with the kidnapping and murder of an associate, the Spanish National Police announced on Sunday.
“The dismantled criminal network, based in Catalonia, is allegedly involved in the kidnapping and death of a man whose body was found in a wooded area of the region,” explained the National Police in a statement. The victim had traveled from Italy to meet with some of the leaders of the gang.
The criminal organization was “mainly composed of Mexican individuals” and was “linked to the Mexican Sinaloa cartel.”
The victim, a 46-year-old man, was allegedly working for the organization and had traveled to Barcelona from Italy to meet with leaders of the criminal network. The kidnapping took place between late May and June, and the victim’s family in Kosovo alerted the police after receiving a ransom demand of €240,000 (approximately $253,000). The family paid part of the ransom, $32,000 in cryptocurrency.
The victim’s body, whose nationality was not disclosed, was found in August in a forest, showing signs of violence and in an advanced state of decomposition.
The arrested individuals are allegedly connected to drug trafficking, money laundering, kidnapping, and murder. They received packages from Mexico containing methamphetamine soaked into pieces of clothing, which were sent to Catalonia. Once in Spain, they extracted the drug in a laboratory they operated.
The Sinaloa cartel is named after the northwestern Mexican state where it was founded and remains one of the most important criminal organizations in the world, despite the incarceration of two of its historic leaders, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and Ismael “Mayo” Zambada, in the United States.
Fire in India’s Jhansi Hospital kills 10 newborns
Seven british citizens arrested in Spain for hashish trafficking 1.2 tons seized
Sinaloa cartel network dismantled in Spain following kidnapping and ransom incident
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Ecuador prison riot leaves at least 43 dead
-
Central America5 days agoBukele urges Costa Rica to reform prison system amid rising crime rates
-
Central America5 days agoEl Salvador delivers aid to Costa Rica amid severe flooding and red alerts
-
Central America5 days agoNicaraguan Naval Force seizes cocaine on Pacific Coast, suspects escape
-
International5 days agoMarco Rubio considered for Secretary of State in Trump administration, reports say
-
International5 days agoSheinbaum pledges support for mexican migrants amid U.S. border enforcement plans
-
International5 days agoElon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to head Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency
-
International4 days agoMálaga paralyzed by new storm as torrential rains hit Spain
-
International5 days agoPresident-elect Trump chooses Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense
-
International4 days agoSeven bodies found with signs of torture in Sinaloa
-
International4 days agoEcuadorian judge orders preventive detention for nine inmates after deadly prison clashes
-
International4 days agoHezbollah launches explosive drone strike on Israel’s defense headquarters
-
Internacionales5 days ago
Mexico deploys 12,000 security agents to Guerrero amid escalating violence
-
International2 days agoThousands of displaced people in Haiti flee the violence of armed gangs
-
International4 days agoSantiago Uribe cleared of homicide and paramilitary charges
-
International4 days agoTrump nominates Matt Gaetz as attorney general
-
Central America3 days agoMulino warns Trump: Darién is U.S.’s ‘other border’ in call for bilateral solutions to migration
-
International3 days agoDrug trafficker dies after boat collision with Guardia Civil Vessel in Sanlúca
-
International4 days agoMarco Rubio to become first latino U.S. diplomacy chief under Trump
-
International3 days agoVenezuelan opposition activist dies in custody amid allegations of repressive crisis
-
International2 days agoFour complaints in a month for sexual abuse against public figures shake Chile
-
International3 days agoIsraeli airstrikes on Damascus kill 15 and injure 16, including women and children
-
International3 days ago
Aemet downgrades rainfall alert as heavy rains ease in Spain
-
International2 days agoUkraine finds in technology its best ally for war
-
Central America3 days agoTen dead in Panama due to storms causing over $100 million in damages
-
International3 days agoMaria Corina Machado sees clear signs for Venezuela after Trump’s victory
-
International4 hours agoFire in India’s Jhansi Hospital kills 10 newborns
-
International1 day agoIsrael bombs Lebanon again after a wave of attacks with dozens of dead
-
Internacionales1 day agoThe Chinese Communist Party expels the former Minister of Agriculture, accused of corruption
-
International1 day agoAbkhesian opponents take the seat of the Parliament of the region
-
International1 day agoLatin America will once again be in the sights of the United States with Rubio at the head of diplomacy
-
International1 day agoAustralia asks the population to write down their flatulence to study intestinal health
-
International4 hours agoSinaloa cartel network dismantled in Spain following kidnapping and ransom incident
-
International3 days agoPope Francis meets former Gaza hostages
-
International2 days agoTrump will nominate Doug Burgum, governor of North Dakota, as Secretary of the Interior
-
International4 hours agoPedro Sánchez to explain government’s handling of deadly floods in congress appearance
-
International2 days agoNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un orders the mass production of drones for suicide attacks
-
International2 days agoThe Ibero-American Summit begins, the first without Latino presidents except the host
-
International1 day ago
The director of the RAE asks to take care of Spanish in AI so that they do not create their own dialects
-
International2 days agoTrump elects Robert Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health
-
International4 hours agoSeven british citizens arrested in Spain for hashish trafficking 1.2 tons seized