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Ontario man sentenced to 20 years in U.S. for leading cross-border drug ring
An Ontario man convicted in the United States of running a drug-trafficking operation across the border into Canada has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Guramrit Sidhu of Brampton, Ont., pleaded guilty earlier this year to leading a drug…
B.C. drug deaths hit lowest level since before pandemic, down 55% since 2023 peak
VICTORIA — British Columbia has recorded its lowest monthly number of suspected toxic drug deaths since before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, falling by more than half since their peak. The Ministry of Public Safety’s preliminary data…
What was in U.S. indictments targeting alleged Canada-linked crime groups?
LOS ANGELES — An indictment released by U.S. authorities on Tuesday includes fresh details about the alleged involvement of Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and others in the murder of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Two other indictments meanwhile outline alleged…
Court documents allege link between Project South investigation, Ryan Wedding case
TORONTO — Newly released court documents are shedding more light on the alleged link between a sweeping police corruption probe in Ontario and the case of former Canadian Olympian Ryan Wedding, who is accused of running an international drug trafficking…
Virginia to allow recreational marijuana to be sold in retail stores beginning in 2027
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Five years after becoming the first Southern state to legalize possession of marijuana, Virginia has approved a legal way to sell it to recreational users. State budget legislation enacted Monday will allow up to 350 cannabis…
West Kelowna man implicated in illegal cannabis, money laundering scheme
The province wants to seize his bank account.
A Moroccan court sentences 29 prominent people in major drug trafficking and corruption case
CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) — A Moroccan court handed prison sentences to 29 people, including prominent politicians and sports and business figures, in an international drug trafficking and corruption scandal that has rocked the country. The court also ordered the defendants…
Myanmar torches $600 million in seized heroin, meth and other drugs
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Thick clouds of black smoke billowed into the sky on the outskirts of Myanmar’s largest city Friday as authorities burned more than 50 tons of heroin, opium, ketamine, methamphetamine, marijuana and crystal meth — some $600…
Deliberate hyperventilation technique linked to mental break before police standoff
CHILLIWACK — A British Columbia judge has sentenced a man to about 75 days in jail with time served, saying that despite his attempts to murder police officers in a standoff, a single mental health break likely triggered by holotropic…
New Mexico governor calls for criminal probe of DEA allowing fentanyl shipments to hit streets
New Mexico’s governor on Wednesday called for a criminal investigation into the Drug Enforcement Administration after an Associated Press investigation found federal agents allowed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to reach the streets over a two-year period while pursuing…
Searches in Metro Vancouver in organized crime case net drugs, weapons
SURREY — Police in British Columbia say a multi-year investigation into an organized crime case has uncovered a large stash of illicit drugs as well as $1.5 million in cash. Investigators say they began looking into the interprovincial drug trafficking…
Olympian skier Bode Miller pleads not guilty to Idaho misdemeanor drug charges
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Olympic gold medalist skier Bode Miller has pleaded not guilty to a pair of misdemeanor drug charges after he was arrested on a charge of possessing psilocybin mushrooms. Miller was arrested June 6 in eastern Idaho,…
Vancouver police warn of cluster of seven overdoses that sent one to hospital
VANCOUVER — Police in Vancouver are warning drug users after a cluster of seven overdoses that sent one person to hospital. Vancouver police say in a message on social media that the overdoses were reported in the area of East…
Border agents find half tonne of opium hidden in Vancouver-area shipping container
DELTA — Canadian border authorities have seized more than half a tonne of opium found hidden in industrial paper rolls in a cargo container in a Metro Vancouver port site. The Canada Border Services Agency says in a release that…
National cannabis lobby group suspends operations, citing black market
HALIFAX — A national cannabis lobby group says it’s suspending its operations, citing the financial challenges to the industry from the illicit market. In a news release Monday, the Cannabis Council of Canada suggested its members don’t have enough money…