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US Forms 84-Country Coalition to Combat Fentanyl & Other Synthetic Drugs
Excerpt:
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is establishing a new coalition of nations to counter the threat posed by illicit synthetic drugs, as the US presses China to stop exporting chemicals used in fentanyl.
The new group, dubbed the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats will develop plans to target fentanyl, the biggest killer of Americans between the ages of 18 and 49, and other synthetic drugs including tramadol, methamphetamine, captagon (a meth-like narcotic popular in the Middle East), MDMA, and ketamine. Blinken said he will host a virtual ministerial meeting on July 7, 2023, to launch the new coalition with dozens of nations and international organizations.
“This coalition seeks to unite countries worldwide in a concerted effort to prevent the illicit manufacture and trafficking of synthetic drugs, identify emerging drug trends, and respond effectively to their public health impacts,” Blinken said in a statement.
.....China Invited to Join
The announcement of its formation comes shortly after Blinken visited China and raised the issue. Private Chinese firms export many of the chemicals used in creating fentanyl, which is roughly 50 times stronger than heroin, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, before it’s then trafficked into the US and other countries.
“I made clear that we need much greater cooperation to address this critical issue,” Blinken said in Beijing. He said the US and China had discussed a joint effort to stop the flow of precursor chemicals.
The US official said China has been helpful in the past. Shipments of fentanyl from China to the US dropped to almost zero when Beijing listed it on its drug export control list in 2019, the official said.
“We’ve invited China,” Robinson, the Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, told reporters on a telephone call.
“We don’t have any indication at the moment that they’re going to participate.”
Although Beijing “had not engaged” with U.S. officials on the issue in recent months, Washington still actively sought its help, he added. “This isn’t about blame, and this isn’t about pressure,” Robinson said.
“Part of the reason we’re trying to bring this coalition together is to engage other countries in their efforts against the supply chain, and part of their responsibility is going to be engaging with the People’s Republic of China (PRC),” he said.
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Typical bureaucratic waste. Form a committee, members fly to a conference to discuss, they make public statements at home and in a couple years produced a memorandum. Weak actions by weak men./s
Meanwhile:
Denver gang connected to Mexican drug cartels busted, $5 million worth of drugs seized.
https://www.jeffco.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2093
Excerpt:
16 suspects have been indicted on 116 felony charges, most of which are drug-related, following a 9-month-long investigation by the West Metro Drug Task Force. In its infancy, this investigation began as a drug distribution case involving methamphetamine and counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl.
.....Drugs Seized
According to the indictments, members of the drug trafficking organization would buy narcotics from a Mexican drug cartel before selling them in Jefferson County, and across the Denver Metro area. To date, this operation has resulted in the seizure of various narcotics.
400 pounds of methamphetamine
325,000 pills containing fentanyl
3 kilograms of cocaine
1 pound of heroin
1.5 pounds of fentanyl powder (350,000 lethal fentanyl doses)
The estimated street value of the seized narcotics is more than $5 million. 17 firearms were also seized, many of which had been reported stolen.
.....10 Arrests
Thiago Escalante-Torres (11/03/00)
Angelo Gonzalez-Hernandez (04/24/02)
Johnathan Kincaid (08/12/81)
Stephanie Larson (09/03/97)
Francisco Romero Portella (07/02/88)
Jonathan Ortega-Carias (06/23/98)
Pablo Ramirez-Martinez aka Alexander Ramirez-Martinez (03/15/97)
Felicia Redearth (05/13/81)
Daniel Emilio Torres-Torres (10/11/99)
Kristy Wilson (08/30/83)
Officials are not naming the six individuals who have yet to be arrested.
Charges
.....Unlawful distribution or sale of a controlled substance
Unlawful possession with intent to sell or distribute a controlled substance
Possession of a weapon by a previous offender
Special offender
Criminal attempt second-degree kidnapping
Criminal attempt aggravated motor vehicle theft
Vehicular eluding
Leaving the scene of an accident
First-degree criminal trespass
Obstructing a peace officer
MarQ