Ismael Zambada García was known as ‘unquestioned senior leader’ of fentanyl trafficking syndicate
US officials say Chinese organised crime groups are laundering much of the cash accumulated by Mexican drugs cartels
Juan Orlando Hernández, a one-time US ally, was convicted of conspiring to move tonnes of drugs and taking cartel money
Users are increasingly taking dangerous cocktails of different illicit substances as supplies soar
The outgoing president said he would tackle gangs with ‘hugs not bullets’. Five years on, violence is worse than ever
Poppy and marijuana farming money disappear from rural areas as traffickers shift to synthetic drugs
President Daniel Noboa strengthens hand to tackle crime wave but voters fail to back economic proposals
Registering name of dead Colombian drug kingpin would flout ‘fundamental values and moral standards’
Xylazine, commonly used to sedate animals, found cut with heroin, counterfeit tablets and cannabis vapes, study finds
Daniel Noboa, the crime-ridden nation’s youthful leader, gambles that brazen attack will pay off domestically
Mexican president’s ‘hugs, not bullets’ pledge has increased tensions with US drug enforcement agency
Gang attacks on civilians have paralysed the port city of Rosario
Hernández was accused of abusing his office to facilitate the shipment of more than 400 tonnes of cocaine to the US
Alleged head of Angels of Death cartel Ridouan Taghi convicted for ordering a string of assassinations
Also in this newsletter: Drug violence spills on to the streets of Brussels
President Daniel Noboa escalates ‘internal armed conflict’ as violence continues to roil Andean country
Beijing meeting aims to advance agreements between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping during summit last year
Cartels fighting to control trafficking routes rebel against government crackdown in Guayaquil
Wave of kidnappings and bombings follow new president’s declaration of state of emergency
Crackdown on group believed to have links to Mexican cartel reflects new president’s security pledge
Former Forza Italia lawmaker convicted for collusion with the ’Ndrangheta
The massacre comes amid a surge in crime as Ecuadoreans prepare to elect a new president
Treasury’s move comes as Washington tries to combat flow of deadly opioid
Oversupply in Colombia is attributed to the vertical integration of production and breaking of Farc’s monopoly
Report highlights size and ‘enormous power’ of crime groups that hold sway over areas of the country and economy