Peruvian police seize 5.5 tonnes of drugs in major raid
NewsFeed Peruvian police seize 5.5 tonnes of drugs in major raid
Peruvian police showcased 5.5 tonnes of seized drugs, including cocaine and marijuana, following an anti-narcotics operation across multiple regions. Authorities say the haul from recent raids is part of a larger 13-tonne seizure, primarily bound for Europe and North America. Fifteen suspects were arrested.
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Al Jazeera
15 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Peruvian police seize 5.5 tonnes of drugs in major raid
NewsFeed Peruvian police seize 5.5 tonnes of drugs in major raid Peruvian police showcased 5.5 tonnes of seized drugs, including cocaine and marijuana, following an anti-narcotics operation across multiple regions. Authorities say the haul from recent raids is part of a larger 13-tonne seizure, primarily bound for Europe and North America. Fifteen suspects were arrested.
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Al Jazeera
Trump administration sanctions International Criminal Court judges
The administration of President Donald Trump has followed through with a threat to sanction officials on the International Criminal Court (ICC), naming four judges whom it accuses of taking 'illegitimate and baseless actions' against the United States and its allies. On Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions in a sharply worded written statement. 'The ICC is politicized and falsely claims unfettered discretion to investigate, charge, and prosecute nationals of the United States and our allies,' Rubio wrote. 'This dangerous assertion and abuse of power infringes upon the sovereignty and national security of the United States and our allies, including Israel.' The four sanctioned judges include Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou of Benin and Beti Hohler of Slovenia. As a result of the sanctions, the judges will see their US-based property and assets blocked. US-based entities are also forbidden from engaging in transactions with them, including through the 'provision of funds, goods or services'. The ICC quickly issued a statement in response, saying it stood behind its judges and 'deplores' the Trump administration's decision. 'These measures are a clear attempt to undermine the independence of an international judicial institution which operates under the mandate from 125 States Parties from all corners of the globe,' the statement said. 'Targeting those working for accountability does nothing to help civilians trapped in conflict. It only emboldens those who believe they can act with impunity.' In a fact sheet, the State Department explained that Bossa and Ibanez Carranza were sanctioned for authorising an investigation into US troops in Afghanistan in 2020, during Trump's first term as president. Previously, the ICC had blocked a request to probe alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan, where the US had been leading a slow-grinding war from 2001 to 2021. But it reversed course the following year, granting a prosecutor's request to investigate US forces and members of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for war crimes in 'secret detention facilities' in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Afghanistan, the court noted, was a member of the Rome Statute, which includes the 125 countries where the ICC has jurisdiction. But the Trump administration at the time blasted the court's decision, calling the ICC a 'political institution masquerading as a legal body'. It has long argued that the US, which is not party to the Rome Statute, lies outside the ICC's jurisdiction. Another country that is not a member of the Rome Statute is Israel, which has used similar arguments to reject the ICC's power over its actions in Palestine. The second pair of judges named in Thursday's sanctions — Alapini Gansou and Hohler — were sanctioned for their actions against Israeli leaders, according to the US State Department. The US is Israel's oldest ally, having been the first to recognise the country in 1948. It has since offered Israel strong support, including for its ongoing war in Gaza, which has killed an estimated 54,607 Palestinians so far. Experts at the United Nations and human rights organisations have compared Israel's military campaign in Gaza to a genocide, as reports continue to emerge of alleged human rights abuses. In November 2024, those accusations spurred the ICC to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, who have both been accused of war crimes in Gaza, including intentional attacks on civilians. Alapini Gansou and Hohler reportedly took part in those proceedings. This is not the first time that the US has issued restrictions against an ICC official since Trump returned to office for a second term on January 20. Shortly after taking office, Trump issued a broad executive order threatening anyone who participates in ICC investigations with sanctions. Critics warned that such sweeping language could pervert the course of justice, for example by dissuading witnesses from coming forward with evidence. But Trump argued that the recent arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant necessitated such measures. He also claimed that the US and Israel were 'thriving democracies' that 'strictly adhere to the laws of war' and that the ICC's investigations threatened military members with 'harassment, abuse and possible arrest'. 'This malign conduct in turn threatens to infringe upon the sovereignty of the United States and undermines the critical national security and foreign policy work of the United States Government and our allies, including Israel,' the executive order said. Under that order, the US sanctioned ICC prosecutor Karim Khan, who had petitioned the court for the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant. That, in turn, slowed the investigation into Israel's actions in Gaza, and Khan later stepped away from his role amid allegations of sexual misconduct. But Trump has a history of opposing the ICC, stretching back to his first term. In 2019, for instance, Trump announced his administration would deny or yank visas for ICC officials involved in investigating US troops in Afghanistan. Then, in 2020, he sanctioned ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and a court official named Phakiso Mochochoko for their involvement in the investigation. Those actions were later overturned under President Joe Biden. Critics, however, warn that Trump's actions could have dire consequences over the long term for the ICC, which relies on its member countries to execute orders like arrest warrants. The court itself has called for an end to the threats.
Al Jazeera
4 days ago
- Al Jazeera
Photos: Aiming a blow at narcos, Colombia pays farmers to uproot coca
As cocaine production reaches an unprecedented high, Colombia's government is trialling a more peaceful remedy to its enduring narcotics crisis – offering payments to farmers to uproot coca crops, the primary ingredient in the drug. Alirio Caicedo and his son Nicolas are among the latest beneficiaries. A decade ago, they planted their fields with coca, staking their livelihoods on the persistent demand from criminal gangs. Now, the Caicedos are digging up those same crops, uncertain of what the future holds. They are joined by about 4,000 other Colombian families who have entered into agreements with the government to replace coca with cocoa and coffee. The initiative forms part of a $14.4m effort aimed at reducing the supply of a substance blamed for inflicting immeasurable misery on the country. Colombia's rural communities are often coerced by armed groups into cultivating coca, with forests cleared to make way for the illicit crop. Authorities are aiming to eradicate coca on 45,000 hectares (111,000 acres) in three of Colombia's most conflict-ridden regions, including the southwestern Micay Canyon. For farmers like the Caicedos, the transition is fraught with risk. There is no guarantee their new crops will thrive, nor that guerrillas and other armed groups – whose revenues are tied to cocaine – will leave them in peace. With coca, the Caicedos say they could count on earning approximately $800 a month. Under the new scheme, they have received an initial payment of about $300 to begin cultivating coffee, with more in the pipeline. Gustavo Petro, Colombia's first left-wing president, assumed office in 2022 with a pledge to shift his country away from the United States-led 'war on drugs' – a campaign widely blamed for the double victimisation of rural Colombians living under the shadow of violence. Since then, cocaine production in Colombia – the world's largest exporter – has soared to record levels, driven by sustained demand in Europe and the US. Previous attempts at crop substitution have failed, often undermined by the disruptive actions of armed groups and the eventual drying up of government support. Gloria Miranda, who heads Colombia's illegal crop substitution programme, cautioned that it would be naive to believe the new initiative could end drug trafficking 'as long as there is a market of 20 million consumers and it (cocaine) remains illegal'. President Petro, in his pursuit of 'total peace', has prioritised negotiation with armed groups over military confrontation, rolling back forced coca eradication. However, most talks have faltered, and the return of Donald Trump to the White House in January has intensified pressure on Bogota. The Trump administration is reassessing Colombia's status as a partner in the anti-drug campaign, threatening to curtail millions of dollars in military aid. Given the high stakes, observers are concerned the crop replacement scheme may be exploited. Some farmers may 'try to deceive' by accepting state funds while continuing to cultivate coca, warned Argelia's government secretary, Pablo Daza. Without rigorous oversight, 'the chances are quite high that we are wasting money,' said Emilio Archila, who oversaw a similar, ultimately unsuccessful, programme under former President Ivan Duque. Miranda insists that 'meticulous' satellite monitoring will ensure compliance, promising that anyone found in breach will be expelled from the programme. While coca is best known as the raw material for cocaine, its leaves are chewed as a stimulant in Andean cultures and brewed as a tea believed to alleviate altitude sickness. Colombia has repeatedly called for coca leaf to be removed from the United Nations list of harmful narcotics in order to license its use in alternative products, such as fertilisers or beverages – appeals which, for now, remain unanswered.
