Latest news with #amphetamines
CTV News
29-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Hundreds of pills seized, northern Ont. woman charged after traffic stop
A 41-year-old North Bay woman faces multiple drug-related charges after a traffic stop led to the seizure of hundreds of pills. The North Bay Police Service said, in a news release, an officer on patrol observed a vehicle make a brief stop at a known drug-use location on Main Street East around 1 p.m. on May 18. Authorities reported the vehicle was later seen making erratic movements before being pulled over. During the traffic stop, officers discovered open alcohol in the vehicle. A subsequent search allegedly uncovered drugs, leading to the woman's arrest. The vehicle search, along with a search of the suspect's person at headquarters, resulted in the seizure of 490.5 amphetamine pills – packaged for distribution – and four morphine capsules. 'The street value of the drugs was approximately $2,450.50,' police said. The accused was charged with drug trafficking, drug possession, and breach of recognizance. She was released on an undertaking with a future court date.
CBS News
28-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Boulder County Coroner's Office rules death of University of Colorado student a suicide; parents dispute findings
The coroner's office in Boulder County says it has finished an investigation into the death of an 18-year-old. Megan Trussel died earlier this year after she went missing in February. Trussel was a student at the University of Colorado Boulder. Family and friends of Megan Trussel put up a memorial near where she was found dead over the winter. CBS The coroner says she died by suicide because of the effects of amphetamine and hypothermia. Boulder County Coroner Jeff Martin wrote in a statement in part, "Our opinion was based on several factors including but not limited to toxicology results and the presence of undigested prescription medication found during the examination." Meanwhile Boulder County Sheriff Curtis Johnson wrote in a statement in part, "We understand this investigation took longer than many hoped," he said "This outcome is heartbreaking, and our hope is that the findings may bring some closure to Megan's loved ones and to the broader community. Our office typically refrains from releasing detailed information in suicide cases out of respect for the family and to prevent further harm, but we are sharing additional details due to the widespread public concern." The CU student was last seen on Sunday, Feb. 9 on campus. In the days following, the community rallied around her family searching before her body was found Feb. 15, near the 40-mile marker of Boulder Canyon. At a vigil in February, Megan's father Joe Trussell said to those in attendance, "It's a terrible thing that happened, but the best thing that we can do to honor her is to get better, to find out what happened," he said to the crowd. After the investigation's conclusion, the family has shared online that they will continue to go over what happened as they dispute the coroner's report. The family has expressed frustration with the Boulder County Sheriff's Office investigation throughout the process as friends and family helped search for Megan's once missing phone and purse. The family says they had also previously retained legal counsel to help facilitate their communication with the police. The family shared on social media Tuesday that they intend to have a private autopsy done and look deeper into factors surrounding her death including where and how Megan's purse and phone were found. Meanwhile, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office maintains that "Based on the comprehensive investigation and forensic findings from the Coroner's Office, Sheriff's Office, as well as a review by the District Attorney's Office, we have found no evidence to suggest that Megan was physically harmed or killed by another person."
Asharq Al-Awsat
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Syria Says foiled Attempt to Smuggle out 4 million Captagon Tablets
Syrian authorities on Monday announced that they had thwarted an attempt to smuggle out four million tablets of captagon, an amphetamine-like narcotic that has flooded the region. The interior ministry said in a statement that authorities seized 'over four million captagon tablets that were tightly hidden inside industrial equipment designed for manufacturing flour used for human consumption.' It said they had acted on 'accurate information received from our sources about a shipment of drugs hidden inside industrial equipment prepared for smuggling outside the country.' Under Assad's rule, captagon became Syria's largest export during the civil war that erupted in 2011 and a key source of illicit funding for his government, according to AFP. Since Assad's ouster last December, the new authorities have discovered millions of captagon pills in warehouses and on military bases. The interior ministry said those involved in the latest operation have been 'arrested, the equipment containing the drugs has been seized, and the arrested individuals have been referred for investigation based on a decision issued by the public prosecution.'
News.com.au
17-05-2025
- News.com.au
Former addict's incredible transformation
A woman has revealed how she couldn't stop using drugs even when she was on bail for supplying them. Tahlia Isaac was just 18 and starting university in a place where nobody knew her when she started partying every weekend. It wasn't long before that partying included drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy. She was young, experimenting and pushing boundaries. It wasn't long before she tried ice for the first time. 'I didn't have a strong sense of identity or belonging and so when a relationship broke down in my early adulthood, I found myself experimenting with amphetamines and it provided that escape from reality I was searching for,' she told It wasn't long before she was using substances to get through the day — even though it wasn't a cognitive choice she was making. She said it was almost like her addiction crept up on her without her even noticing. 'Sometimes I would be able to find my way out and stay off drugs for a few weeks. Most of the time I held a job, and other times it would totally consume me and my life was chaos,' she said. At one point, she was even smoking the drug in the bathroom at work. A decade into using, things escalated and she made bad decisions out of a need to survive. Her life had spiralled out of control and it led to her being charged by police with supply and possession. 'I never liked being in trouble, so being arrested brought with it feelings of shame and fear,' she said. But even that wasn't enough to scare Ms Isaac into giving up the drug. She was released on bail without any support and quickly returned to her old ways. Looking back, she wishes there was more support for drug users on bail. Her breach of her bail conditions landed her back in jail, where she close to a year. It was this time in prison that allowed Ms Isaac to detox from the drugs, and start seeing a counsellor. She said she was able to stop using because she got to the root of why. 'I worked on all the trauma I had experienced in my adult life with a therapist, and started to build out an identity away from substances and the life associated with it,' the mother-of-two said. 'When I was released from prison I also had a safe home, my family who were supportive and a few key people who cared enough about me to see me succeed. In the early days it was hard because I didn't really know who I was if I wasn't using drugs. 'I didn't feel like I fit into the community and I was unemployable. It's hard to feel a constant rejection from a community you want to be part of but you are constantly judged on your past and not for who you are trying to become.' Before this, she tried several times to stop using but it never stuck because she didn't believe her life was worth it, and said the notion of 'going into recovery' was too narrow. She said she ultimately takes responsibility for all of her choices as no one forced her hand, but it's never really black and white when it comes to addiction. Following her release, Ms Isaac began Project:herSELF, which supports women impacted by the justice system rebuild their life. 'The current system is not keeping up with our progressive values. It punishes poverty, trauma, and survival, while silencing the voices of women who have lived through it,' she said. 'We believe that women with lived prison experience must lead the way in reimagining justice. When women thrive, communities thrive. By ending the over-incarceration of women, we address the root causes of many of today's most urgent social challenges; housing insecurity, family separation, generational trauma, youth offending and economic participation. 'Our work is about restoring dignity, shifting power, and building a future where justice begins with care.' She said plenty of women have ended up in prison after one mistake, and it's important to express empathy. And for those who are where the 34-year-old was in 2018, she said there are people who care and can help. 'Would my life have been easier if I had stopped using before I got charged? For sure. But I was so blinded by my pain that I really didn't see a way out,' she said. 'That's the point about self determination though – allowing people to make decisions about their lives and allowing them that privilege. Then being there with care and kindness should they feel like those decisions were wrong and they want to make better ones.'
