Category Archives: Drugs

10 September 2012 | last updated at 08:17AM By CHUAH BEE KIM AND BEN TAN | news@nst.com.my 0 comments Police cordoning off the apartment in Jalan Junid, Muar, where drugs worth RM20 million were found hidden in several rooms. Pic by Shaiffulazhar Misri MUAR: POLICE on a routine narcotics bust stumbled onto a drug laboratory and seized drugs worth RM20 million at a posh apartment yesterday, making it the state's biggest haul this year. Officers from Johor Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department, who took part in the pre-dawn raid, found drugs, including syabu, heroin, Ecstasy and Eramin 5 pills, hidden in the apartment in Jalan Junid here. Several drug processing equipment and packing material were also seized. Police also arrested three people, including a couple, aged between 20 and 50. It was learnt that the couple had been leading a jet-set lifestyle for several months from their ill-gotten gains before the arrest. Sources close to the investigation said they believed the apartment unit was used to process drugs before they were packed and distributed for consumption in Johor, and other neighbouring states. "Investigators believe the suspects had been operating for several months and the tight security features of the high-end apartment … Continue reading →

The first large and comprehensive study of the genetics of a common lung cancer finds that more than half the tumors from that cancer have mutations that might be treated by new drugs that are already in the pipeline or that could be easily developed. For the tens of thousands of patients with that cancer squamous-cell lung cancer the results are promising because they could foretell a new type of treatment in which drugs are tailored to match the genetic abnormality in each patient, researchers say. "This is a disease where there are no targeted therapies," said Dr. Matthew Meyerson of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, referring to modern drugs that attack genetic abnormalities. He is a lead author of the paper, with more than 300 authors, that was published online Sunday in the journal Nature. "What we found will change the landscape for squamous-cell carcinoma. I think it gives hope to patients," he said. The study is part of the Cancer Genome Atlas, a large project by the National Institutes of Health to examine genetic abnormalities in cancer. The study of squamous-cell lung cancer is the second genetic analysis of a common cancer, coming on the heels of a study … Continue reading →

Enlarge Toronto International Film Festival Curtis Jackson, also known as rapper 50 Cent, is one of the many people who speaks in the documentary How To Make Money Selling Drugs. Curtis Jackson, also known as rapper 50 Cent, is one of the many people who speaks in the documentary How To Make Money Selling Drugs. It takes a certain kind of verve to call your documentary How To Make Money Selling Drugs and really mean it. Because the title doesn't lie: that is, in fact, what How To Make Money Selling Drugs is about. It's structured for about the first half of its running time as a satirical instructional film about how to get your own drug cartel by working your way up from small-time dealer to local distributor to kingpin and beyond. It talks to a wide variety of dealers, cops and experts about the relationships between different parts of the drug business, about what makes kids want to sell drugs instead of working for minimum wage, and about the risks of jail and violence. It explains how people in the drug business beat criminal charges and avoid arrest, as well as explaining jail as a cost of doing … Continue reading →

Published: Monday, September 10, 2012, 12:01 a.m. Emergency crews worry the constant switch-ups could lead to a paramedic making a mistake that could cause a patient pain, injuries or even death. Without careful planning, they also potentially could run out of the drugs they need to help people as they're taken to the hospital. "In the meantime, we're just having to really be on our toes and adjust on the fly," said Scott Dorsey, acting deputy chief and medical services administrator for Snohomish County Fire District 7 in Clearview. Drugs commonly administered by paramedics that have been affected by shortages include medicines for people having seizures or who are suffering from cardiac or respiratory trouble. In addition to treating pain, paramedics often need to sedate or anesthetize patients as well. In Snohomish County, fire departments and their medical supervisors are working to find solutions while they wait for a federal fix, they said. "Our personnel are having to rethink what they do on a real routine basis," Monroe fire Capt. Cindy Coker said. Drug shortages have been making national headlines for about two years now. Hospitals and emergency rooms have faced similar issues with shortages, as have cancer treatment centers. … Continue reading →

PETALING JAYA: Some of the counterfeit drugs being sold in the country are dangerous and can kill, according to the Health Ministry. The pharmacy enforcement division said a Bill was being drafted to increase the penalties for selling counterfeit drugs. Division director Mohd Hatta Ahmad said that sex stimulants, painkillers and cough mixtures were among the drugs being counterfeited and sold cheaper than the genuine stuff. The division had found that these fake products and others such as eye drops, cold preparations and ointments, were being sold in traditional medicine and sundry shops and roadside stalls, he told The Star. The counterfeit products that it had seized were either manufactured locally or brought in from countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, India and China, he said. Mohd Hatta Ahmad warned that consuming counterfeit sexual stimulants that contain sildenafil, tadalafil and verdanafil or slimming agents containing sibutramine without proper supervision from a medical doctor or pharmacist can lead to serious consequences. These counterfeit drugs can even cause death as they may destroy the body's vital organs and are also reported to cause mental disorders. Mohd Hatta stressed that all pharmaceutical products must be registered with the ministry before being marketed. … Continue reading →

A former Camden City police officer convicted of stealing cash and drugs, planting evidence, and lying to a grand jury was sentenced to 10 years in prison Friday by U.S. District Judge Robert Kugler. Kugler also revoked bail for Antonio Figueroa, 36, and ordered the former member of an elite antidrug squad taken into custody. Kugler said Figueroa and three other members of the squad awaiting sentencing "had shattered the community trust" in law enforcement and "cast a pall" over hundreds of honest police officers working in the city. Several times during the 90-minute hearing, Kugler shook his head and said he could not understand what motivated Figueroa and the others. The case has spawned dozens of lawsuits brought by defendants whose convictions were vacated or overturned after details of an FBI investigation into the corruption charges were made public - though several of those cleared have been rearrested on new charges, including one for homicide. Figueroa fought back tears before sentencing as he offered an explanation for his actions. Born and raised in Camden, he said he had seen the effect drugs had on the city and "on some of my own family members." He told Kugler he became … Continue reading →

8 September 2012 Last updated at 02:41 ET By Sarah Rainsford BBC News, Camaguey Province, Cuba Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Officers patrol Cuba's coastline to deter and detect smugglers The golden beaches of Cayo Cruz lie at the end of a long path through a nature reserve. It is an idyllic stretch of Cuba's northern coast but this is key territory in the fight against international drug-trafficking. Cuba sits right between the world's major narcotics producers in South America and the biggest market for those drugs, the United States. The island has served as a bridge for traffickers in the past but in recent years it has been a barrier to the illegal trade. "We used to see a lot of suspicious boats here," Ardoldo Cisneros Pena recalls of the 1990s. He is chief border guard in Cayo Cruz, where we were recently given rare access. "There were almost daily drops into the sea," he says. Small planes would bombard Cuban waters with packets of drugs, for speedboats to whisk to the US. Today, the scene is tranquil. A young border guard scans the horizon from a mint-green watchtower. A stone slab below reads "They … Continue reading →

THURSDAY, Sept. 6 (HealthDay News) -- A new review finds that rheumatoid arthritis medications known as biologics don't raise the risk of cancer, contrary to what some previous research has suggested. Rheumatoid arthritis affects an estimated 1 percent of the general population, with women three times more likely to have it. Different from age-related osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis is debilitating autoimmune disorder that causes inflammation of the lining of the joints. Biologics work by targeting specific parts of the immune system involved in the inflammation process. Previous studies have raised questions about whether the drugs might boost the risk of cancer. The new study appears in the Sept. 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The researchers, led by a researcher at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, looked at 63 randomized controlled trials of the drugs that featured follow-up periods of at least 24 weeks. In total, the studies analyzed nearly 29,500 patients. The biologic medications are abatacept (Orencia), adalimumab (Humira), anakinra (Kineret), certolizumab (Cimzia), etanercept (Enbrel), golimumab (Simponi), infliximab (Remicade), rituximab (Rituxan), and tocilizumab (Actemra). The analysis didn't find any extra risk of cancer compared to other drugs for rheumatic arthritis or a placebo. … Continue reading →

7 September 2012 Last updated at 08:23 ET Two alleged drug dealers have been granted anonymity at a court in Londonderry because of a possible threat from "third parties". The defendants, two women aged 27 and 19, were arrested after drugs were found in the Waterside area of the city on Wednesday. Both women are charged with having cannabis and having the drug with intent to supply. The older of the two is also charged with having the Class A drug ecstasy. Before the women were brought from the dock, the judge granted an application by defence not to have their names and addresses read out in court. They were identified only by their court numbers during the hearing. The judge said he accepted the application on the basis that there could be threats made to the lives of both women by "third parties". The women were released on their own bail of 500 with 750 sureties each. As part of their bail conditions they must not contact one another and must not use or have a mobile phone. Read more: Drugs accused granted anonymity … Continue reading →

An undercover operation aimed at ensuring that Santa Clarita businesses are complying with laws regarding the sale of illegal substances led to the arrest this week of a retailer on charges that he sold synthetic drugs known as"bath salts" and "spice," authorities said. Information obtained by the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriffs Station indicated that some local businesses might be selling the illegal substances to children and adults, authorities said in a statement. So the Santa Clarita Sheriffs Station Juvenile Intervention Team joined forces with deputies from the stations Crime Prevention Unit and launched a sting Wednesday. The statement explained that spice, also known as synthetic cannabis, is a psychoactive designer drug made from natural herbs sprayed with synthetic chemicals. When consumed, it can mimic the effects of other illegal drugs, authorities said. The term bath salt represents a family of designer drugs that contain chemicals that can provide intoxication similar to amphetamine and cocaine, officials said. While the white crystals resemble legal bathing products, such as Epsom salts, the products are not chemically related, officials said. Officials said selling, dispensing, distributing, offering to sell, or possessing synthetic cannabinoid compound or synthetic cannabinoid derivative in order to sell them, is a … Continue reading →