Latest news with #NationalDrugThreatAssessment
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
DEA Defies Supreme Court and Attorney General, Targeting Marijuana Compliant Pharmaceutical Research While Cartels Operate Unchecked
"The irony is glaring," said Boise. "The DEA blocks lawful drug development while cartels profit. The agency is both gatekeeper and roadblock-and now, a constitutional liability." The DEA's own 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment admits that illicit cannabis operations tied to foreign cartels thrive in legalized states, operating under state licenses while DEA policy bureaucrats Thomas Prevoznik and Matthew Strait remains unchecked. WASHINGTON, D.C. / / May 23, 2025 / In a brazen act of regulatory defiance, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has reignited its unlawful campaign against MMJ BioPharma Cultivation, a federally compliant cannabinoid-based pharmaceutical company. This comes in direct contradiction to a Supreme Court ruling, the stance of the Department of Justice (DOJ), and overwhelming public support for medical cannabis reform. On May 19, the DEA's Office of Administrative Law Judges issued an order rescheduling a prehearing conference with MMJ BioPharma for June 11, 2025. This comes despite the fact that the DOJ-through the Attorney General Pam Bondi-has formally notified federal courts that it will no longer defend the constitutionality of DEA's internal tribunal system. The DEA's administrative law courts were ruled structurally invalid by the Supreme Court for violating Article II of the Constitution. "This is a rogue agency acting outside the law," said Duane Boise, CEO of MMJ International Holdings. "The DEA is not just obstructing medical research-it's defying the Constitution, the Supreme Court, and the Attorney General." DEA Crusade Against MMJ Medical Cannabis DeveloperMMJ BioPharma has spent more than seven years complying with every federal requirement to develop cannabinoid-based therapies for serious neurological conditions. The company holds: - Two FDA-accepted INDs- Orphan Drug Designation for Huntington's disease- A DEA-registered Schedule I Analytical Laboratory- Partnerships with GMP-certified manufacturers and international distribution networks Despite these credentials, the DEA refuses to issue a Schedule I Bulk Manufacturing License-a mandatory step to produce cannabis for FDA-approved clinical trials. Instead of resolving the matter in federal court, the agency is again using a discredited tribunal structure already struck down by the nation's highest court. The DEA's 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment confirms that transnational cartels continue operating under state cannabis licenses, exploiting regulatory gaps in legalized states. While illicit actors thrive, the agency devotes its energy to obstructing a law-abiding, federally regulated pharmaceutical innovator. "The irony is glaring," Boise added. "The DEA blocks lawful drug development while criminal enterprises profit. The agency is both gatekeeper and roadblock-and now, a constitutional liability." A Constitutional and Scientific Crisis Science Denied:- DEA disregards the 2023 HHS recommendation, based on FDA-reviewed evidence, to reclassify cannabis as Schedule III- Ignores decades of clinical data from global medical programs on epilepsy, chronic pain, and PTSD Constitutional Violations:- DEA continues using tribunals declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court- DEA operates in defiance of the Attorney General's directive that DOJ will not defend these proceedings Public Will Ignored:- 69% of 40,000+ public comments called for full descheduling- DEA continues to invoke debunked "gateway drug" rhetoric Economic Harm:- DEA delays access to treatments for Huntington's, MS, and pain- All while the U.S. federally illegal cannabis market exceeds $32 billion annually "The DEA is enforcing a backroom hidden anti marijuana agenda-not public safety," said Boise. "While cartels flourish, the agency uses taxpayer resources to sabotage federally compliant innovators and delay treatments for suffering patients. This is no longer about regulation-this is rogue retaliation." The Path Forward: Accountability Now MMJ International Holdings calls on:- Congress to launch oversight hearings into DEA obstruction and administrative abuse- DOJ to halt all unconstitutional proceedings in accordance with the Axon ruling- DEA nominee Terrance Cole to commit to ending the agency's war on science "The DEA's credibility is bankrupt," Boise concluded. "It's time for Congress to end this obstruction-patients' lives depend on it." MMJ is represented by attorney Megan Sheehan. CONTACT:Madison HiseyMHisey@ SOURCE: MMJ International Holdings View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire Sign in to access your portfolio
Newsweek
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Cartels Smuggling Stolen Oil Into Texas, DEA Says
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Multiple Mexican criminal organizations are smuggling stolen crude oil into Texas as part of a sophisticated black-market operation, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Why It Matters President Donald Trump signed an executive order designating Mexican drug cartels and other Latin American groups as terrorist organizations. Trump's order says that these groups "threaten the safety of the American people, the security of the United States, and the stability of the international order in the Western Hemisphere." Trump has previously suggested that U.S. troops might be deployed into Mexico to combat the powerful drug cartels and crime lords—a move firmly opposed by Mexico's leadership. The letters 'CJNG' for the group's formal name, Jalisco New Generation cartel, is scrawled on the facade of an abandoned home, in El Limoncito, in the Michoacan state of Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. The letters 'CJNG' for the group's formal name, Jalisco New Generation cartel, is scrawled on the facade of an abandoned home, in El Limoncito, in the Michoacan state of Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. Eduardo Verdugo/AP What To Know Two prominent Mexican drug cartels—the Jalisco New Generation cartel (CJNG) and the Gulf cartel—have expanded their operations to include crude oil theft and the extortion of U.S. mining companies, say federal officials who describe the potential alliance as a "super cartel." These groups are stealing the crude from Mexico's state-owned oil company Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), according to the DEA's 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment report. The stolen oil is then smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border into Texas, where it is sold on the black market, sometimes through a trade-based money laundering scheme involving U.S. oil and gas companies. Authorities say this illicit petroleum smuggling has become a primary funding source for the transnational criminal organizations, which also include the Sinaloa cartel. The report estimates Mexico loses tens of billions of dollars in tax revenue annually due to fuel theft, Pemex alone reporting losses of 20.53 billion pesos ($1.05 billion) in 2024—a 10 percent increase from the previous year. U.S. oil and gas companies also face financial losses from disruptions in petroleum imports and exports. On May 1, 2025, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned three Mexican nationals and two Mexico-based entities tied to the CJNG's drug trafficking and oil smuggling network, freezing their U.S.-based assets and prohibiting Americans from engaging with them. What People Are Saying DEA Acting Administrator Robert Murphy said: "DEA and our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners must continue to adapt and work together to attack global drug trafficking organizations at every level. By joining forces to reduce supply and demand, we can destroy the drug trafficking networks and achieve a safer and healthier future for all Americans." What Happens Next Federal officials said the designations mark a significant step in dismantling one of the largest funding streams used by drug cartels. The investigation will focus on U.S. companies and individuals suspected of enabling or benefiting from the illegal petroleum trade.
Daily Mirror
19-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Fears of new 'super cartel' as notorious violent gangs make terrifying alliance
Members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and 'Los Chapitos' faction of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel are said to have formed an alliance which could provde deadly Fears are growing over a new 'super cartel ' as two of the most violent gangs in Mexico are believed to have formed an alliance - Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the 'Los Chapitos' faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. A video spread on social media showing several armed men with two others appearing to have been captured by the drug cartels. There is no information as to the location the image was taken, however, those who took the video have claimed it shows an alleged alliance between CJNG and 'La Chapiza', a group of armed men who work for the Sinaloa Cartel faction. One of those in the video is heard saying: "The rumours are true, the alliance between the New Generation Cartel and La Chapiza is confirmed." In the video they also refer to Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, who is known as El Mencho, and to one of Joaquín Guzmán Loera's sons who have been identified as leaders of the notorious gangs. As the video draws to a close, the men fire their weapons into the air in celebration. The video appeared online shortly after the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) published its 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment, which included mention on a potential alliance between the notorious gangs. The report stated: "A strategic alliance between the CJNG and Los Chapitos has the potential to expand these groups' territories, resources, firepower, and access to corrupt officials, which could result in a significant shift in the criminal balance of power in Mexico and could serve to increase northbound drug flow and southbound weapons trafficking at the US-Mexico border." It is believed that working together, the two groups are hoping to strengthen their operations and to provide a stronger front against common rivals, particularly the faction led by Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada - a former top leader of the Sinaloa Cartel who was arrested in July 2024. The DEA report explained: "On July 25, 2026, the United States arrested Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada-Garcia, a co-founder and leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, and Joaquín Guzmán-López, a founding member of the Sinaloa Cartel's Los Chapitos faction, in New Mexico, just outside of El Paso, Texas. "This arrest brought into custody key cartel figures who eluded both US and Mexican law enforcement for years and are considered tow of the principal leaders responsible for the production, trafficking, and distribution of fentanyl throughout the United States. The arrest escalated tensions and infighting between the main two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel (Los Mayos and Los Chapitos), which continues today." Negotiations between CJNG and Los Chapitos are said to have began last year, as representatives met in Guadalajara and Nayarit. It has been reported that as part of the agreement to work together, Jesus Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, one of the Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán's sons, would be handed over to the CJNG as a guarantee. The DEA report added: "According to Mexican news sources, CJNG could capitalise on the conflict between the Los Mayos and Los Chapitos factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, essentially by choosing sides in favour of their former rivals, Los Chapitos, against Los Mayos." The potential alliance between the notoriously violent gangs has also raised concerns in Mexico, with experts warning the cartel collaboration could intensify violence in key regions and complicate authorities' efforts to fight drug trafficking. The introductory summary to the DEA's 2025 report states: "Mexican cartels' production, trafficking, and distribution of powerful illicit synthetic drugs, chiefly fentanyl and methamphetamine, represent a dire threat to public health, the rule of law, and national security in the United States. "The Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation Cartels (CJNG), together with their procurement, distribution, and financial support networks stretching across Latin America, China, and other key global nodes, remain the dominant threats for the trafficking of these and other drugs into the United States." The report added that in the 12 months to October 2024, 84,076 American died from a drug overdose according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "underscoring the devastating effect these cartels have on our country." The Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel, along wiht six other criminal organisations, have been designated as foreign terrorist organisations by the United States. In his introduction to the 2025 DEA report, Acting Administrator Robert Murphy wrote that these groups are "the primary groups oroducing the illicit synthetic drugs driving US drug poisoning deaths and trafficking these drugs into the United States." He wrote: "The cartels are not only fuelling the drug poisoning deaths in the United States, but also committing egregious acts of violence, threatening the security and stability of our partners across the Western Hemisphere."
Epoch Times
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Bipartisan Bill Would Require Accountability and State Department Plan to Dismantle Mexican Cartels
The bipartisan Mexico Security Assistance Accountability Act introduced in the Senate on May 15 would require the State Department to come up with a strategy to dismantle the Mexican drug cartels with measurable goals. Sens. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) introduced the legislation targeting the cartels on May 15, noting in a press release that the U.S. government spent $3 billion over more than a decade helping Mexico with security and yet despite this, the cartels 'have gained significant ground.' The bill would ensure that taxpayers get the best return for their investment by helping Mexico annihilate the cartels, increase the capacity of Mexico's military and public security institutions to degrade the cartels' effectiveness, and combat public corruption and impunity. 'The strategy must include priorities, milestones, and performance indicators to monitor and evaluate results of U.S. security assistance,' according to the release. McCormick said that fentanyl trafficked over the southwestern border is killing more than 4,000 people each year in his state of Pennsylvania alone. 'We need a clear strategy to dismantle the cartels that has real accountability and metrics for success, so we know security cooperation is actually achieving results,' McCormick stated. Related Stories 5/14/2025 3/22/2025 'I look forward to working with the Administration on this common-sense approach to saving American lives.' Kelly added that the United State's relationship with Mexico and a shared security mission are crucial in combating the cartels. 'Our bipartisan bill will establish mission goals to effectively dismantle cartels and increase the capabilities of Mexico's law enforcement, strengthening U.S. national security and protecting our communities,' he said. The Mexican drug cartels are the leading driver of the fentanyl overdose crisis that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans. In the 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration stated that 'together, the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels have caused the worst drug crisis in U.S. history,' controlling the flow of nearly all illicit drugs into the United States, including fentanyl. A 2023 raised concerns about the effectiveness of U.S. security assistance in Mexico, finding that the State Department had not identified specific projects to achieve U.S. goals, had not outlined which performance indicators should be used to gauge results, and had not established monitoring and evaluation plans to assess progress toward achieving these goals. According to provisional released on May 14 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, overdose deaths have been on the decline, driven mainly by a reduction in fentanyl-related deaths. The synthetic opioid is at least 50 times more powerful than heroin and was linked to more than 76,000 deaths in 2023. That number dropped to just over 48,000 in 2024, .
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Emery County K-9 makes 107-pound meth bust over Easter weekend
EMERY COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) — An Emery County Sheriff's Office K-9 made a major drug bust this Easter weekend, provoking a search on Saturday that yielded 107 pounds of methamphetamine. 'I hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter weekend. Dak sure is,' Emery County Sheriff Tyson Huntington posted on social media. 'Saturday morning Dak warmed up with an Easter egg hunt and then went to work.' According to the sheriff's office, while on the job, Dak gave a positive indication of illegal narcotics and a deputy began a vehicle search as a result. That search yielded 107 pounds of methamphetamine and 3 kilos of a 'white-colored powder,' according to the sheriff's office. While police suspect the powder to be either cocaine or fentanyl, Sheriff Huntington stated that their deputies no longer field test white-colored powder due to the danger of accidental fentanyl exposure. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration notes in its 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment that 31% of all drug-related deaths in the U.S. are now caused by stimulants that speed up the nervous system, primarily meth. More than 17,000 people in the U.S. died from fatal overdoses and poisonings related to stimulants in the first half of 2023, according to preliminary CDC data. Although overdoses have been more associated with opiates like fentanyl, medical professionals say overdosing on meth is possible if a large amount is ingested. Higher blood pressure and a quickened heart rate can then provoke a heart attack or stroke. Additionally, hot weather and methamphetamine are a particularly deadly mix, according to the Associated Press. Meth is showing up more often as a factor in the deaths of people who died from heat-related causes in the U.S. Death certificates show about one in five heat-related deaths in recent years involved methamphetamine. As a stimulant, it increases body temperature, impairs the brain's ability to regulate body heat and makes it harder for the heart to compensate for extreme heat. Emery County K-9 makes 107-pound meth bust over Easter weekend Former Boy Scout leader arrested on 42 felony counts for alleged sexual abuse over 10+ years 'It's a long shot': South Carolina students turn to Mr. Beast, other influencers to save university This is the 'best brunch spot' in Utah, according to Yelp Senate GOP braces for primary headaches after 2024 break Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
