Fentanyl kings in Canada linked to powerful Chinese gang, the Big Circle Boys
VANCOUVER - In October 2015, RCMP officers wearing tactical gear burst into luxury homes, an underground bank and two illegal casinos in Richmond, B.C. At a hidden casino on Richmond’s No. 4 Road, they found 27 surveillance cameras. The place was abandoned but police saw something that concerned them. (Global News)Who are the Big Circle Boys?
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Vancouver fentanyl trafficker with 69 prior convictions gets nine years in jail
A man who was convicted of possessing fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking and possessing a loaded firearm has been sentenced to nine years in prison. (The Province)
Mexican drug kingpin ‘El Chapo’ guilty on all counts in N.Y. trial
Mexico's most notorious drug lord, Joaquin (El Chapo) Guzman, was convicted Tuesday of running an industrial-scale smuggling operation after a three-month trial packed with Hollywood-style tales of grisly killings, political payoffs, cocaine hidden in jalapeno cans, jewel-encrusted guns and a naked escape with his girlfriend through a tunnel. (AP)
Canada’s first opioid vending machine launches in Vancouver
VANCOUVER - An automatic dispensing machine is now up and running on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. It works similar to an ATM, but instead of cash, it dispenses opioids. (CTV)
Canada facing shortage of legal pot as legalization looms
The supply of legal pot in Canada will only meet 30 per cent to 60 per cent of demand after legalization, keeping the black market very much alive and stunting the government’s tax take, according to a new study. (Financial Post)Legal pot with only meet 30-60 per cent of demand
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Growing use of meth swelling Edmonton crime, social problems
EDMONTON - Kevin uses methamphetamine every day. The 39-year-old Edmonton resident is a regular at the consumption site at Boyle Street Community Services where he can safely inject the drug. (Edmonton Journal)
Ex-Mexico army chief arrested in L.A. on charges of drug trafficking, money laundering
MEXICO CITY - Former Mexican Defense Secretary Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos, who led the country’s armed forces for six years under then-President Enrique Peña Nieto, has been arrested on drug trafficking and money laundering charges at Los Angeles International Airport, U.S. and Mexican sources confirmed Thursday. (L.A. Times)
Hells Angel member, drug dealer’s daughter marry
MONTREAL - A wedding between a full-patch member of the Hells Angels and the daughter of a notorious drug trafficker drew members of organized crime to downtown Montreal on Saturday. (Montreal Gazette)
Nine jailed in landmark joint US – China fentanyl smuggling investigation
Nine people have been jailed in China for smuggling fentanyl into the US, after a landmark joint investigation by American and Chinese officers. In August, US President Donald Trump said China was not doing enough to stop the opioid - 50 times more potent than heroin - being shipped to the US. The Chinese court said it was the first time US and Chinese officers had worked together on such a case. (BBC)
Hells Angels targeted in early morning raids in Quebec, New Brunswick
A total of 32 people were arrested in a series of early morning raids on Thursday targeting drug-trafficking networks in eastern Quebec and New Brunswick with alleged ties to the Hells Angels. The raids, conducted by the Sûreté du Québec, were carried out in 20 different communities across the two provinces, including in the Lower St. Lawrence region, the Gaspé and the Magdalen Islands. (CBC)
