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Wagner Remnants Run Drug Trade in Africa
Roughly 500 fighters from Russia's Wagner Group remain based up the Ubangi River in the Central African Republic, controlling a tramadol trade that lets them exploit the country's gold and forest resources beyond the reach of local law enforcement or Moscow itself, according to The Wall Street Journal. Tramadol, an opioid normally used for joint pain, becomes an addictive stimulant at high doses, known locally as "cocaine for the poor." WSJ reported miners and fighters take doses far above the standard 50-100 milligrams, sometimes 200 milligrams or more, to work long shifts or suppress fear in combat. Researcher Natalia Dukhan of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime said combatants enter a "pharmacological trance." The trade, run since Yevgeny Prigozhin's death by his son Pavel, funds Wagner's militias, including Sharks and Black Russians, which WSJ linked to a February attack that killed about 130 Fulani herders. Uppsala University data cited…
North and South Korea Remain Locked in One of the World’s Most Dangerous Standoffs
DATA DASHBOARD Peninsula Overview Indicator Latest Status Korean War Armistice since 1953 Peace Treaty None Technical State North and South…
Haiti Security Crisis Escalates as Armed Gangs Challenge State Authority and Humanitarian Efforts
Haiti’s prolonged security crisis has entered another dangerous phase, with heavily armed criminal groups tightening their grip over large parts…
