Drugs

USA

US says four killed in strike on suspected drug boat in Caribbean

The US has moved to clamp down on drug-smuggling routes under US President Donald Trump, who has pledged to "wage war" against drug cartels.

20 September 2026

Libya

Tripoli busts Gaddafi-shaped pills as captagon appears in Libya's east

Tripoli intercepted 100,000 tablets bearing the late Libyan leader's image shipped via Europe in a Renault Master van, while Benghazi's investigators separately seized captagon tablets assessed to have originated in Syria, where the al-Assad regime once industrialised the billion-dollar trade.

17 September 2026

Health news

Fiji declares national HIV crisis as cases spike

Fiji has declared a national HIV emergency after a surge in new cases, with the government and international agencies racing to contain a crisis driven by sexual transmission and injection drug use.

17 September 2026

Health news

US push to cut drug prices could mean longer waits for European patients

Europe’s patients could face longer waits for some new medicines as US efforts to drive down drug prices risk encouraging pharmaceutical companies to delay launches in lower-price markets, according to a new modelling study.

14 September 2026

Egypt

TV star Sarah Khalifa faces death penalty in Egypt — what comes next?

Egyptian law allows capital punishment for some serious drug offences, while a 2024 reform gives felony defendants a full appeal before the Court of Cassation. Euronews examines how the process works before a death sentence becomes final in Egypt.

10 September 2026

Egypt

Popular Egyptian TV presenter to appeal drug-related death sentence

Khalifa and 11 others face death sentences in a major synthetic drug trafficking case, with appeals and further legal challenges expected.

7 September 2026

Sri Lanka

US and Sri Lankan agents bust Pakistan drug network, police say

Sri Lanka's Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told parliament that most of the illegal drugs originated in Afghanistan and Pakistan and were being smuggled into the island by sea.

2 September 2026

Mexico

Six wounded after car bomb explodes in front of Mexico police station

Zacatecas is key to the drug trade because it links central Mexico with the north and west of the country and features routes that are key to smuggling cocaine and other narcotics to the United States.

31 August 2026

Europe News

Dutch centre warns about potentially lethal Trump-shaped ecstasy pills

It's not the first time ecstasy pills in the form of Trump's head have appeared. In 2017, German police seized thousands of orange Trump-shaped tablets.

28 August 2026

Europe News

Brussels' prosecutor calls for drug gang crackdown after shootings

Julien Moinil said that there have been 69 shooting incidents in Brussels so far this year and 170 in total since the start of 2025.

28 August 2026

USA

US strike on alleged drug-smuggling boat in Pacific kills two

The US military launched operation "Southern Spear" in early September, with President Donald Trump arguing Washington is effectively at war with drug cartels operating out of Latin America.

24 August 2026

Indonesia

Indonesia seizes 2.6 tonnes of meth in major bust, official says

Indonesia has some of the world's toughest anti-drug laws, including the death penalty for traffickers, but has maintained a moratorium on executions for several years.

19 August 2026

Health news

Italy and France announce international meeting on addiction prevention and recovery

Italy and France, co-founders of the European Coalition Against Drugs (ECAD), on Thursday announced an international meeting on prevention and addiction recovery. The summit will be held on 23 October 2026 in Italy.

7 August 2026

Europe News

Spanish police dismantle major Mediterranean migrant smuggling network

Investigators believe the group was responsible for at least 64 migrant smuggling operations in which more than 2,000 people were brought to Spain, generating profits of more than €24 million.

7 August 2026

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka deploys troops to contain growing prison unrest

Officials have attributed the growing unrest to acute overcrowding. Sri Lanka's prisons hold about four times their intended capacity.

7 August 2026

Europe News

Alleged operator of major darknet drugs platform charged in Germany

The suspect was arrested at his home in Barcelona in June 2025 by a special unit of the Spanish National Police and was later extradited to Germany.

3 August 2026