Tag: the war on (some) drugs

$312 Billion in Chinese Money Laundering Networks Is Driving the Drug Crisis and Human Trafficking in the US

The Treasury Department has confirmed a national security and public safety disaster: Chinese money-laundering networks have pushed more than $312 billion in illicit transactions through U.S. financial institutions in recent years. 

That money financed Mexican drug cartels, enabled human traffickers, and supported organized criminal networks that have left tens of thousands of Americans dead from fentanyl overdoses and other cartel-driven violence.

According to FINCEN.gov, financial institutions filed 1,675 BSA reports in the dataset indicating suspicious activity potentially involving human trafficking or human smuggling.

FINCEN.gov also discovered funds potentially associated with healthcare fraud, elder abuse, and suspicious gaming activity.

What makes these Chinese Money Laundering Networks (CMLNs) especially dangerous is their coordination with Mexico’s most violent cartels, including the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation organizations. 

Mexico’s strict limits on U.S. dollar deposits force cartels to look abroad, while China’s own capital controls make moving money out of the country nearly impossible through legal channels. 

Criminals found the perfect solution: CMLNs convert cartel drug profits in dollars into Chinese renminbi and then cycle those funds back into the U.S. banking system. 

The cartels get clean money. China’s elites get access to American assets. And Americans pay the price in drug overdoses, gang violence, and financial corruption.

Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) documented 137,153 suspicious activity reports between 2020 and 2024 linked directly to CMLNs. 

These reports describe methods ranging from mirror transactions and trade-based laundering to the use of so-called “money mules.” 

Students, retirees, and homemakers with little or no income were recruited to make large deposits that far exceeded their financial profiles. This layering of ordinary citizens into billion-dollar schemes makes detection more difficult and gives cartels longer lifelines.

FinCEN also found $53.7 billion in suspicious real estate transactions, much of it in major cities where foreign buyers already distort housing markets. 

Another $766 million was tied to adult day-care centers in New York, which investigators believe could be linked to healthcare fraud, elder abuse, and even human trafficking. 

More than 1,600 cases pointed to human smuggling and trafficking operations, while another 108 cases were tied directly to elder abuse and Medicare fraud. 

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Wealthy Island Community’s Sewage Has a Cocaine Problem

The picturesque island of Nantucket off Cape Cod is producing sewage with high levels of cocaine, possibly revealing the illegal drug of choice in the exclusive upscale New England community.

As part of a program initiated this year, Nantucket, Massachusetts, has been using its sewage “surveillance program” to get a handle on the amount and types of drug use on the island, where population quadruples to 80,000 in the summer months with tourists and seasonal residents.

Conducted at the island’s Surfside wastewater treatment facility, the testing found cocaine levels about 50 percent higher than the national average, according to the town and county’s website.

Labeled the “High Risk Substances Summary for Nantucket Sewer Department,” the testing revealed below-average levels of fentanyl, the powerful opioid that has caused thousands of overdoses in the United States.

The surveillance program tests for a range of substances besides cocaine, including nicotine, methamphetamine, and other prescription and illicit opioids. The idea and technology of testing the sewage was developed during the COVID-19 pandemic to test for the virus.

According to the program’s official description:

While the goal is not to estimate exact numbers of users, the data will help identify concerning patterns, such as sustained increases in certain drug markers, that can guide timely, evidence-based interventions. For example, if a prolonged spike in stimulant use is observed, the Town can coordinate educational outreach, screening efforts, or peer-led recovery support tailored to that substance.

While nicotine use was typical of regional and U.S. averages, other noteworthy findings were the levels of crystal meth and xylazine, an animal tranquilizer that authorities say is often mixed in with other drugs. Both those drugs showed very low levels.

“What’s shocking is that there is a low level of trace items,” Randolph Rice, a legal analyst, told Fox News Digital. “For example, there is very little fentanyl or xylazine…Oftentimes, these substances are added to [drugs] to make them more potent, but they also make them deadly. So what it’s telling us in Nantucket, is they’re getting the pure stuff.”

Back in May, a local news outlet reported what it called the largest cocaine bust in the island’s history when more than five pounds of the drug were seized during the arrest of a suspect from the Dominican Republic who has a green card allowing him to live legally in the United States.

One activity that could distort drug use trends determined from sewage is the pressure of law enforcement.

David Katz, a former DEA special agent, told Fox News Digital that cocaine concentrations could also come from a dealer flushing a large stash to avoid being busted during a raid.

“We used to shut the water off before we did search warrants because of that same thing,” he said.

The other cause, he said, would be the toilet flushes from cocaine users as the drug leaves their system.

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The 10th Circuit Agrees That Prosecuting Cannabis Consumers for Gun Possession May Be Unconstitutional

On a Friday in May 2022, Jared Harrison was on his way to work at an Oklahoma medical marijuana dispensary when a police officer stopped him for running a red light. When Harrison rolled down his window, the officer smelled marijuana. A search of the car discovered a loaded revolver, a pill bottle containing a few partially smoked joints, another joint in a console tray, and a backpack containing marijuana, THC gummies, and two THC vape cartridges.

Because Harrison did not have a state-issued medical marijuana card, he was charged with illegal possession of cannabis under state law, a misdemeanor. But he also faced a felony charge under 18 USC 922(g)(3), the federal law that bars illegal drug users from possessing firearms. That charge, he argued, violated the Second Amendment. A federal judge agreed, ruling in February 2023 that the government had failed to show Harrison’s prosecution was “consistent with this Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation”—the constitutional test that the U.S. Supreme Court established in the 2022 case New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen.

This week the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit reversed that ruling and remanded the case for further consideration. The 10th Circuit’s decision in United States v. Harrison, because it endorsed U.S. District Judge Patrick Wyrick’s reasoning in nearly all respects, nevertheless represents another in a series of blows to a policy that affects millions of peaceful Americans, depriving them of the constitutional right to armed self-defense for no good reason.

As it has in other Section 922(g)(3) cases, the government argued that cannabis consumers are not part of “the people” whose “right to keep and bear arms” is guaranteed by the Second Amendment because they are not “law-abiding.” Wyrick made short work of that claim, noting that the Supreme Court has said “the people,” as used in the Bill of Rights, “unambiguously refers to all members of the political community, not an unspecified subset.”

The government’s argument amounted to “an outright declaration of the federal government’s belief that it can deprive practically anyone of their Second Amendment right,” Wyrick added. “Who among us, after all, isn’t a ‘lawbreaker’? For sure, there
may well exist some adult[s] who [have] never exceeded the speed limit, changed lanes without signaling, or failed to come to a complete stop at a stop sign, but they are few and far between.”

The three-judge 10th Circuit panel unanimously agreed with Wyrick on this point. “A contrary conclusion would defy law and logic,” Judge Veronica Rossman, a Joe Biden appointee, writes in the majority opinion, which was joined in full by Judge Michael R. Murphy, who was nominated by Bill Clinton, and in part by Judge Paul J. Kelly Jr., who was appointed by George H.W. Bush. “The First and Fourth Amendments also refer to the ‘people,’ and nobody contends only ‘law-abiding citizens’ enjoy the rights protected by these constitutional guarantees….Restricting the Second Amendment to ‘law-abiding’ citizens—as the government urges us to do—would make it harder to administer and would risk turning it into ‘a second-class right.'”

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Latin American Countries Align With US as Navy Ships Arrive in the Caribbean Sea off the Venezuelan Coast

The board is set, the pieces are moving.

As Latin American countries start taking sides, the US’ largest military contingent in 25 years has been sent to Latin America.

Over 4,000 Marines and sailors have been deployed to the waters of the Caribbean as part of a ‘counter-cartel mission’.

This deployment includes the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (comprising the USS Iwo Jima, USS Fort Lauderdale, and USS San Antonio), a nuclear-powered attack submarine, three destroyers (USS Gravely, USS Jason Duhan, and USS Sampson) a guided-missile cruiser, and additional P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft.

In the meantime, many Latin American countries are starting to position themselves regarding the upcoming operations.

  • Argentina declares the Cartel de los Soles an international terrorist organization, joining the diplomatic offensive against the criminal network linked to Nicolás Maduro’s regime.
  • Paraguay President Santiago Peña signed a decree classifying the Cartel of the Suns, allegedly led by Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, as an international terrorist organization, and urged their citizens to leave the country immediately.
  • The Republic of Guyana expressed ‘support for a collaborative and integrated approach to tackle transnational organized crime’.
  • Even unprompted, Trinidad & Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar formally backed the deployment of US Navy Vessels against drug cartels, and even in the event of a Venezuelan invasion of Guyana over the Essequibo Region, allowing USN access.

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Cannabis Use Linked to Lower Inflammation Among People With HIV or Methamphetamine Disorder

The research, published in the journal Viruses, involved 234 participants, including 86 people with HIV (PWH) and 148 without HIV (PWoH). Participants provided blood and urine samples and completed assessments covering medical, psychiatric, and substance use history. Researchers analyzed markers of immune activity and inflammation, focusing on CXCL10/IP-10, CCL2/MCP-1, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1.

Results showed that participants with HIV had higher levels of CXCL10/IP-10 compared to those without HIV, confirming heightened inflammation in this group. However, cannabis use was independently linked to lower CXCL10/IP-10 levels overall. Among people with lifetime MUD, cannabis use was also tied to reduced levels of CCL2/MCP-1, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1, suggesting cannabis may mitigate immune overactivation in this population. Interestingly, only participants without HIV displayed cannabis-associated reductions in VCAM-1.

The authors conclude that cannabis use is associated with lower concentrations of key immune and inflammatory molecules in individuals with HIV or MUD. They suggest that cannabinoid pathways could offer a promising target for treating complications tied to chronic inflammation.

This study adds to a growing body of evidence that cannabinoids may hold therapeutic value in managing immune dysfunction and inflammation, particularly among populations facing elevated risks due to substance use or chronic conditions.

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Military To Start Testing Service Members For The Psychedelic Psilocin, Memo Shows

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is expanding the list of drugs that military service members will be tested for to include the psychedelic compound psilocin, one of the two main components of psilocybin mushrooms.

In a memo obtained by Marijuana Moment, a DOD employee performing the duties of the deputy under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness advised military leadership that psilocin will be added to the department’s Drug Demand Reduction Program drug testing panel effective October 1.

The memo, dated August 18, states that the policy change being made due to “the risk of impairment and subsequent deterioration of security, military fitness, readiness, good order and discipline.”

“Drug abuse by Service members is a safety and readiness issue, and the Department must adapt our detection and deterrence program to address new and emerging drug threats,” Dr. Merlynn Carson wrote.

The DOD official said that attachments to the memo lay out “cutoff concentrations” for a positive psilocin test and other drugs in the testing panel.

Marijuana Moment reached out to DOD for copies of those attachments, but representatives were not able to immediately provide the documents.

“The Department of Defense maintains a zero-tolerance policy prohibiting drug use, and we remain committed to continually expanding drug testing capabilities and enhancing our education and prevention efforts by providing effective information on drug misuse, including the use of Psilocin,” an official told Marijuana Moment in an email.

The memo says that the “first priority” for psilocin testing under the revised drug panel “will be given to specimens collected under the auspices of probable cause, consent, or command.”

“In proportion to laboratory capabilities and capacity, second priority will be given to special testing requests for other collection modes, such as routine inspection-based collections, and specimens may also be randomly tested for psilocin,” it says.

At the same time that DOD has moved to test for psilocin, it’s also carrying out a congressional mandated psychedelic therapy pilot program for active duty service members and veterans. A more recent spending bill covering DOD would require a “progress report” on that initiative.

This latest memo also comes about two months after a DOD contractor sued the federal government, alleging that questions about his past marijuana use during a security clearance process violated his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

While the latest DOD policy update concerned a psychedelic compound, questions about federal workers testing positive for marijuana have also ballooned in recent years, as more individual states have legalized the drug.

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Federal Appeals Court Says Government Must Prove Marijuana Users ‘Pose A Risk’ Of Danger To Justify Gun Ban

A federal appeals court has ruled that the government must prove that people who use marijuana “pose a risk of future danger” if it wants to justify applying a law banning cannabis consumers from owning firearms.

In its opinion on Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit sided with a federal district court that dismissed an indictment against Jared Michael Harrison, who was charged in Oklahoma in 2022 after police discovered cannabis and a handgun in his vehicle during a traffic stop.

The case has now been remanded to that lower court, which determined that the current statute banning “unlawful” users of marijuana from possessing firearms, known as 922(g)(3), violates the Second Amendment of the Constitution.

The Justice Department appealed that ruling in 2023, sending it to the Tenth Circuit. That three-judge panel said they “agree with much of the district court’s analysis” of the legal considerations, including its challenge to the federal government’s claims that there is historically analogous precedent substantiating the firearm ban for cannabis consumers.

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Ohio governor calls kratom an imminent public health risk, pushes for ban

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is urging the Ohio Board of Pharmacy to classify kratom as a Schedule I drug, citing it as an “imminent public health risk” due to its potential dangers, particularly for teenagers and babies.

Kratom, which is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, is sold in products like the Feel Free drink at gas stations and stores in Ohio and Kentucky.

The governor’s proposal would make Ohio the first state to take such strong action against kratom.

Doctors at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital are raising alarms about its risks.

Dr. Stephanie Merher, a neonatologist, said, “Some of the moms who have taken this and not taken anything else, they have actually needed to go on buprenorphine or methadone to get off of this. It’s that potent.”

She has treated babies exposed in utero who exhibit symptoms similar to opioid withdrawal, including fussiness, tremors and difficulty eating.

Dr. Shan Yin, medical director of the Cincinnati Drug and Poison Information Center, explained that kratom and kava, another ingredient in Feel Free, create a “speedball-like” effect. He noted, “It’s also at this point, unregulated. So, you never know quite what’s in it.”

Feel Free is sold as an herbal product, not a controlled substance, and carries a “21+ only” warning, which the company says it voluntarily implemented. However, that is not required under federal or Ohio law, so anyone can purchase it in the state.

Kentucky lawmakers enacted a 21-plus age limit on kratom last year, while Indiana banned it completely in 2014. Ohio currently has no restrictions.

Earlier in August, Ohio House Minority Leader Dani Isaacson (D) told WLWT he wants to protect kids from the synthetic form form of Kratom known as 7-OH. “You can buy it at convenience stores and gas stations and vape stores in super concentrated forms with no age restrictions. It’s not behind the counter. And so we need to do something about it.”

Botanic Tonics, the maker of Feel Free, disputes the safety concerns, asserting that its product contains only natural, whole-leaf kratom, not the concentrated synthetic form known as 7-OH.

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Single dose of psilocybin provides lasting relief from depression and anxiety in cancer patients

A clinical trial examined the effects of psilocybin combined with psychological support on cancer patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Results showed that a single dose of psilocybin had robust antidepressant effects in these individuals. Fifty percent demonstrated sustained depression reduction, while 43% experienced a sustained reduction in anxiety. The research was published in the journal Cancer.

Depression is a mental health condition that involves persistent sadness, loss of interest, and feelings of hopelessness. It is often accompanied by anxiety, which is characterized by excessive fear, worry, and physical tension. Both conditions are common psychological responses to the challenges of living with cancer.

Cancer patients often face uncertainty about their prognosis, undergo painful treatments, and experience changes in physical functioning, all of which can heighten anxiety. Depression may develop as a response to the emotional burden of diagnosis, fatigue, changes in body image, or loss of independence. These conditions can negatively affect treatment adherence, as patients may avoid appointments or struggle to follow medical recommendations.

Anxiety can also intensify physical symptoms such as pain, nausea, or insomnia, creating a cycle of distress. Depression may reduce motivation and energy, limiting the patient’s ability to engage in daily activities and draw on social support. Emotional distress in cancer patients is associated with a poorer quality of life and, in some studies, worse clinical outcomes.

Study author Manish Agrawal and his colleagues explored the impact of psilocybin combined with psychological support in 30 patients with cancer and a diagnosis of major depressive disorder. Some had curable, and others had incurable forms of cancer. The average age of participants was 57.5 years, and 19 were female. None were hospitalized for depression at baseline, and 61% were not receiving psychiatric medications. During the course of the study, two patients died, reducing the number of participants in the final analysis to 28.

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Venezuela Asks U.N. to Help Stop American Anti-Drug Efforts in Caribbean

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil on Tuesday called for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to help “restore common sense” and stop the United States’ ongoing efforts to combat drug cartels in Caribbean international waters — which the Venezuelan narco-state deems a “threat.”

Gil met with U.N. Resident Coordinator in Venezuela Gianluca Rampolla on Tuesday. According to the regime’s main propaganda outlet, VTV, the officials “debated the threats facing Latin America and the Caribbean from the United States.”  Secretary-General Guterres has not publicly commented on Venezuela’s request at press time.

“We request the support of U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to restore common sense. In this regard, we share our concerns about the deployment of US military units and even nuclear weapons in the Caribbean, which threatens peace,” Gil wrote on his official Telegram account.

“In the face of false narratives, used as a pretext to justify aggression against Venezuela, we confirm that the 2025 World Drug Report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC) has ratified Venezuela as a territory free of illicit crops. Furthermore, the efforts of the Bolivarian Government have been duly certified by the UNDOC,” he continued.

Gil’s meeting with Rampolla and his request to Guterres come days after the administration of President Donald Trump increased its efforts to combat drug trafficking in the region and curb the flow of drugs entering the United States. Reports published this month indicated that the U.S. deployed three Aegis guided-missile destroyers and reportedly “about 4,000 sailors and Marines” to Caribbean international waters to fight against local drug trafficking organizations. Subsequent reports published this week detailed that the United States deployed the USS Lake Erie guided missile cruiser and the USS Newport News, a nuclear-powered attack submarine, to reinforce the U.S.’s ongoing efforts. Both are reportedly expected to arrive in the region by early next week.

Socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro and members of his authoritarian regime have condemned the United States’ ongoing drug-fighting efforts in the Caribbean and have repeatedly insisted, without evidence, that the United States’s actions are instead part of a purported plot to “invade” Venezuela and oust Maduro from power.

Maduro is actively wanted by the United States on multiple narco-terrorism charges and stands accused of being a leading figure of the Cartel of the Suns, a U.S.-identified Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) led by top leading members of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and the Venezuelan military. Interior Minister and long-suspected drug lord Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López also stand accused by U.S. authorities of leading the Cartel of the Suns and are wanted on multiple narco-terrorism charges. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced this month that the United States doubled its bounty on information that can lead to Maduro’s arrest from $25 million to $50 million.

In recent days, Maduro has ordered a series of “preparations” for the alleged American “invasion” and launched a campaign to enlist civilians into the Bolivarian Militia that local and international outlets widely reported as a failure. On Tuesday, Defense Minister López claimed that Venezuela would also deploy “large ships” to “combat drug trafficking” in Caribbean waters.

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