Merck Cocaine: Behind Some Of Those Fabulous Rolling Stones Songs - Zina Moukheiber - Healthworks - Forbes: "Guitarist and songwriter extraordinaire Keith Richards 
should have died a long time ago. He was a heroin addict for many years, which earned him the number one spot for ten years on New Musical Express’ list of rock stars most likely to die. He was also an aficionado of Merck cocaine—the pharmaceutical kind, a pure luxury compared to the street powder. In his autobiography Life, Richards confesses that the Rolling Stones’ 1975 tour was “fueled by Merck cocaine. It was when we initiated the building of hideaways behind the speakers on the stage so that we could have lines between songs.” "
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A culpa não é minha, é tua!: Cocaine: "cocaine shot into Duncan Andrews’ antecubital vein in a concentrated bolus after having been propelled by the plunger of a syringe. Chemical alarms sounded immediately. A number of the blood cells and plasma enzymes recognized the cocaine molecules as being part of a family of compounds called alkaloids, which are manufactured by plants and include such physiologically active substances as caffeine, morphine, strychnine, and nicotine."
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Riemann's Cut: I Am Dr. Cocaine: "Cocaine caused every problem on the planet today.
The Irish banking collapse was caused by cocaine.
The global banking collapse was caused by cocaine.
HIV and STDs are spread by cocaine.
Alcoholism is just cocaine addiction in sheeps clothing.
Robin Williams is full of cocaine in every film he made.
Scarface is 100% accurate depiction of an average cocaine user.
All gun crime is commited under the influence of cocaine.
Children only misbehave because they've taken cocaine.
I describe entrie races of people as peasants.
Cocaine is a curse on us all from the indigenous 'peasants' of the Americas.
I don't understand why God made cocaine.
God must have been on Meth when he created the coca plant.
I am God's spokes person on Earth.
I wanted to be a rock star when I was growing up, but mammy and daddy made me do medicine.
I am now living out my rock star dream by talking to every radio station in Ireland.
I love the sound of my own voice."
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Biomed Middle East » How cocaine corrupts the brain Biomed Middle East: "Scientists have found how cocaine corrupts the brain and becomes addictive .
These findings are the first to connect activation of specific neurons to alterations in cocaine reward.
The results may help researchers in developing new ways of treating those addicted to the drug.
Led by Mary Kay Lobo, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and first author of the study, researchers found that the two main neurons (D1 and D2) in the nucleus accumbens region of the brain, an important part of the brain’s reward center, exert opposite effects on cocaine reward. Activation of D1 neurons increases cocaine reward whereas activation of D2 neurons decreases cocaine reward.
“The data suggest a model whereby chronic exposure to cocaine results in an imbalance in activity in the two nucleus accumbens neurons: increased activity in D1 neurons combined with decreased activity in D2 neurons. This further suggests that BDNF-TrkB signaling in D2 neurons mediates this decreased activity in D2 neurons,” said Dr. Lobo."
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Lil Wayne Has Heroin Named After him In NJ: "One of the more interesting things you learn from shows like The Wire or American Gangster is that drugs are as much about branding as they are about the blast. Title your stuff like 'WMD' or 'Blue Magic,' and you can be a millionaire.
All of which leads us to this: Lil Wayne
has a type of heroin named after him in Newark. I'm not sure what that says about Lil Wayne or the group of dealers using his name, but yeah. Watch this thing about Lil Wayne's heroin."
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Gerry's personal dealer and the Freddie gang link - National News, Frontpage - Herald.ie: "DRUG DEALERS working for ‘Fat’ Freddie Thompson supplied cocaine to radio legend
Gerry Ryan.
The Herald can reveal today that Gerry’s personal dealer was directly involved with Freddie’s coke empire. Gerry preferred to meet the dealer himself, and they would often meet in the car park of a landmark West Dublin pub.
However, no criminal investigation is going to be carried out to try and charge the dealer, who regularly supplied Ryan with the Class A drug in the years leading up to his death. Gardai believe that the cocaine which was found in Gerry Ryan's system was supplied by a junior member of Thompson's Crumlin-Drimnagh drug gang.
It is believed that the cocaine was brought into the country through Christy Kinahan's drug supply channels before being dispersed through Thompson's distribution network.
A source has told the Herald that a criminal investigation like the one carried out after the death of model Katy French was 'unlikely' because of the circumstances surrounding their deaths."
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I was naive about Gerry's coke use admits Duffy as Dunne attacks star's silent pals - National News, Frontpage - Herald.ie: "RTE star and close friend of Gerry Ryan, Joe Duffy, has admitted he had been completely 'naive' about the presenter’s cocaine habit.
Joe, a Clontarf neighbour of the Ryan family, said today that he couldn’t believe that the drug caused his pal’s death.
The Liveline presenter’s comments come as businessman and former cocaine user Ben Dunne said today that Gerry Ryan’s RTE friends were “weak” for not talking about the star’s cocaine addiction at the time of his death.
However, Joe Duffy said that he “knew nothing” about Gerry’s cocaine use.
“I was taken aback by the revelation at the inquest,” Joe said on last night’s RTE programme Spirit Level.
“I knew nothing about what was coming, unfortunately. Maybe I'm naïve, but I didn't.”"
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Official Solicitor to fight parents' extradition - News - East Lothian News: "Official Solicitor has intervened in a bid to stop the potentially 'devastating' extradition of both parents of three young children from Nottinghamshire.
Mr and Mrs 'H', from Nottinghamshire, who cannot be named for legal reasons, face jail sentences in Italy on drug smuggling charges.
On Wednesday the High Court was told by lawyers acting for the 35-year-old mother that the extradition proceedings had triggered her complete mental collapse and she now lived 'a zombie-like existence'.
If extradited, Mrs H faces having to serve over nine-and-a-half years of a 14-year sentence after being convicted in her absence of drug trafficking and participating in a criminal organisation. Her husband faces four years in jail for similar offences involving smuggling hashish, committed in 2003, and having to stand trial on other drugs charges."
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Broadcaster Gerry Ryan died of heart failure after using cocaine - The Irish Times - Sat, Dec 11, 2010: "RTÉ BROADCASTER Gerry Ryan was under enormous personal, financial and professional stress just before his death from heart failure after using cocaine, the Dublin City Coroner’s Court heard yesterday.
Returning a verdict of death by misadventure, coroner Dr Brian Farrell said Ryan (53) had chronic damage to his heart which meant death “could have occurred at any time” from a cardiac arrhythmia, an electrical disturbance in the heart. He had used cocaine and it was known the drug caused such disturbances, Dr Farrell found.
“This is a sudden unexpected death in the presence of a significantly damaged heart with recent cocaine use as a significant risk factor,” he said.
Ryan died on Friday, April 30th, at his home on Upper Leeson Street, Dublin. His body was discovered by his partner Melanie Verwoerd."
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Friends defend Gerry's memory - National News, Frontpage - Herald.ie: "STUNNED pals of Gerry Ryan have urged his fans not to let revelations of his cocaine use tarnish his memory.
Lifelong friend Gerald Kean said he was left reeling by the revelations, insisting he had no idea of Gerry's cocaine past.
'My immediate reaction is that no matter what the finding of the inquest was, Gerry was an absolutely wonderful man, friend and father,' the celebrity lawyer told the Herald today.
'I just have nothing bad to say about him. It shouldn't affect people's perception of him. It certainly won't affect mine.'
Today FM broadcaster Ian Dempsey has urged people to forget that cocaine was likely to have caused the death of the broadcaster and remember him for his talent instead.
“I mean it’s very sad,” he told the Herald. “I’d like to see the guy rest in peace, it’s very difficult for his family and close friends. “It’s a pity that something like this has to overshadow what he achieved during his life. I don’t think it’s of any benefit to anyone. “He was a great broadcaster, I think that’s what people will remember,” he added."
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Gerry Ryan 
'took cocaine at work in RTE': Tragedy of his addiction revealed Mail Online: "Gerry Ryan was so wracked by cocaine addiction that he even snorted the drug in RTÉ, a close family friend has revealed.At the height of his cocaine use – which the star DID largely stop after the death of Katy French in 2007 – he sometimes took the drug to help him through his 2fm breakfast show after a late night.A source who was very close to the star told the Irish Mail on Sunday this weekend: ‘Gerry was using in RTÉ. He would take champagne, coke and valium. The champagne was known about but he hid the cocaine pretty well.’And former 2fm colleague Gareth O’Callaghan, who now broadcasts on Dublin-based 4fm, yesterday backed up the claims, saying: ‘It was widely known in both RTÉ Radio 1 and 2fm that Gerry Ryan took cocaine. ‘I know that he was taking cocaine in a lot of places; he was particularly fond of it.’ Two more RTÉ sources confirmed that within 2fm it was a ‘constant rumour’ Gerry Ryan had been using cocaine within the radio complex at Montrose."
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Cocaine Addiction 
- Cocaine sniffer dog in Liverpool: "Police officers аrе now out аחԁ аbουt іח Liverpool City Centre wіtһ drug dogs. If уου′re caught, уου сουƖԁ еחԁ up wіtһ a criminal record. Tһіѕ саח affect уουr future career аѕ employers mау check іf уου һаνе a criminal record οr аחу past convictions. It саח аƖѕο ѕtοр уου frοm getting a visa fοr ѕοmе countries, preventing уου frοm travelling. Yου wіƖƖ аƖѕο bе banned frοm tһе mοѕt рοрυƖаr areas іח tһе City Centre аחԁ уου wіƖƖ һаνе tο attend a drugs аחԁ / οr alcohol intervention programme. Remember cocaine іѕ חοt a victimless crime. Tһеrе аrе many downsides tο cocaine: Cocaine υѕе οftеח fosters arrogance, аחɡеr аחԁ even violence аחԁ іt tends tο kіƖƖ camaraderie аחԁ humour A combination οf cocaine аחԁ alcohol саח increase tһе risk οf leading tο a cardiac arrest"
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No probe into Ryan cocaine suppliers - National News, Frontpage - Independent.ie: "AMID a welter of concern about the prevalence of drug abuse in Irish society, gardai are not investigating the question of who supplied cocaine to the late Gerry Ryan.
The latest drugs-related high-profile death highlights the corrosive effect of organised crime across the social divide.
An inquest on Friday heard that Mr Ryan died of arrythmia 
triggered by his use of cocaine with alcohol. A verdict of death by misadventure was recorded.
While no investigation will now take place, gardai believe that Mr Ryan was supplied with cocaine by a gang controlled by the notorious criminal, 'Fat' Freddie Thompson.
Thompson's gang supplies the bulk of cocaine in the city centre club and pub scene.
A garda source said that Mr Ryan's cocaine supply came from a personal contact operating at second or third hand from the criminals and that Mr Ryan 'would have paid over the odds and that may contributed to his debts'.
Journalist Joe Jackson says in today's Sunday Independent that not only did he discuss Mr Ryan's drug taking with him, but he was present a number of years ago when Mr Ryan was called to meet a dealer in the toilet of a city centre club. Mr Jackson says that the dealer was a well known supplier of drugs to personalities in the media and music industries."
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Drug arrests: up to 1,000 hits ofLSD
, cocaine, ecstacy citizen-times.com Asheville Citizen-Times: "man from eastern North Carolina is facing charges of trafficking LSD after police say they found him with 500-1,000 doses of the hallucinogenic drug.
Travis Aaron Scarberry, 23, of Lillington was also charged with possessing 249 grams of psilocybin, a type hallucinogenic mushroom, and eight grams of MDMA commonly known as ecstasy, according to Buncombe County arrests reports.
Scarberry was arrested Saturday night and held at the Buncombe County Detention Facility under a $26,000 bond."
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Federal Criminal Sentencing Guidelines for Crack Cocaine Cases Now in Effect :: Jacksonville Criminal Lawyer Blog: "As criminal defense lawyers in the Jacksonville, Florida area who handle all criminal cases in state and federal courts, we have seen how people convicted of crack cocaine crimes can receive much higher sentences than those convicted of powder cocaine crimes where the amount of powder cocaine was similar to or even less than the crack cocaine in the related case. The unfairness of these sentencing rules, which disproportionately punished people involved with crack cocaine over those involved with powder cocaine, has been discussed by prosecutors, criminal defense lawyers, federal judges and even the Congress and the president.
Finally, new rules bringing sentences for crack cocaine cases and powder cocaine cases closer together have been enacted. The Fair Sentencing Act, which will permanently become the law next year, is now in effect.
The old federal sentencing guidelines would provide that a person caught with as few as 5 grams of crack cocaine would receive a five year minimum mandatory prison sentence. However, it would take at least 500 grams of powder cocaine to get the same minimum mandatory sentence. That was quite a disparity. With the new law and federal sentencing rules, it will now take 28 grams of crack cocaine to trigger the five year minimum mandatory prison sentence. The threshold for the ten year minimum mandatory prison sentence has been increased from 50 grams of crack cocaine to 280 grams of crack cocaine.
Under the new federal criminal sentencing rules, the sentences for crack cocaine and powder cocaine crimes are not equal, and not really close to being equal. However, they are now much more similar than they were in the past prior to the Fair Sentencing Act."
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Sex workers outed in Suresh Nair murder trial The Australian: "daughter of a CEO, a media worker and five other women will be outed as former sex workers in court this week after a NSW magistrate rejected an application to have their names suppressed. The women have been called to give evidence at a committal hearing for wealthy Sydney neurosurgeon Suresh Nair who is facing charges of murder and manslaughter over the cocaine-overdose deaths last year of two high-end escorts.
Victoria McIntyre, 23, and Suellen Domingues Zaupa, 22, both died in separate incidents in Dr Nair’s luxury apartment in Elizabeth Bay, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, in February and November last year respectively.
On the first day of hearings this morning, Crown prosecutor Kate Thompson sought to have the names of eight former and current sex workers suppressed, arguing the publication of their names would expose them to public embarrassment and could harm their personal relationships and careers."
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Escort dies from cocaine binge supplied by Indian origin doctor World News: "Indian origin doctor in Australia has been charged with manslaughter after an escort, who he supplied with a large amount of cocaine, died.
Neurosurgeon Dr Suresh Surendranath Nair is said to have given three prostitutes a huge dose of cocaine, and while two left his Sydney apartment to buy a sedative, the third died while they were away.
He has now been charged with the manslaughter of Victoria McIntyre, 23, in February 2009 and the murder of Suellen Domingues-Zaupa, 22, in November 2009.
Nair had engaged both women as prostitutes at his Elizabeth Bay apartment in Sydney’s east, and it is alleged he supplied both with cocaine.
Giving evidence via video link from the US, a former prostitute, known to the court only as Emily, recalled speaking to McIntyre in the hours before her death."
Cops Subpoena Charlie Sheen's Medical Records To Prove He Was Coked Out The Night Of Hotel Meltdown! | PerezHilton.com: "escort Capri Anderson has filed a criminal complaint against Charlie Sheen, regarding his 'alleged' cocaine-fueled meltdown in which he locked her in the bathroom of his Plaza Hotel room, New York authorities have subpoena'd the actor's medical records in order to prove that he was in fact high on the aforementioned substance that night!
A source explains:
'Cops will subpoena Sheen's records to see if he was using drugs as part of their investigation into what happened that night with Walsh. The investigation is ongoing.'"
A ROGUE batch of heroin is being linked to two deaths and a series of overdoses in Neath and Port Talbot.: "ROGUE batch of heroin is being linked to two deaths and a series of overdoses in Neath and Port Talbot.
Police say the drug is of unusually high purity and has led to some users also suffering blackouts lasting several days.
Two unexplained deaths in Neath, one involving a 17-year-old youth and the other a 40-year-old man, are both being linked to heroin use.
There have also been four non-fatal overdoses reported across the Neath Port Talbot area in the last week."
UN warns illicit drugs major threat to Asia - thestar.com: "Political instability in military-ruled Myanmar has helped make it the region’s prime source of methamphetamine pills, according to a United Nations’ report on the illicit drug trade issued Thursday.
The highly addictive stimulants have replaced heroin, opium and marijuana as the top threat in several East and Southeast Asian countries, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said. Myanmar was once the main source for the world’s opium and its derivative, heroin.
The production of methamphetamines remains “at high and worrying levels,” Gary Lewis, the agency’s regional representative for East Asia and the Pacific, said in a statement. “It now poses a serious challenge to law enforcement agencies because the essential chemicals used to produce it are easily sourced.”
The drugs can be made from pseudoephedrine
, a decongestant found in over-the-counter cold medicines.
Myanmar’s border areas are under loose central control, making them ideal for drug production and trafficking. Where the country’s eastern border meets Thailand and Laos is known as the Golden Triangle — for many years, the world’s biggest source of heroin. In the past decade — as opium production picked up in Afghanistan — the area has become a source for methamphetamine production as well."
Tease Me, Tease Me TV and Tease Me 2 and 3 all promoted adult chat which was broadcast free to air.
Ofcom said the channels repeatedly breached rules which protect children from inappropriate material and viewers from harmful and offensive content.
More than 60 rule breaches had been recorded in the past 18 months.
"We simply will not tolerate serious and repeated breaches of the Code and have therefore decided to revoke these licences," said Ofcom's director of standards, Chris Banatvala.
"Audiences should be assured that we will continue to take action to stop broadcasters breaching the rules in this area."
The channels - owned by Bang Channels Limited and Bang Media Limited -
But according to broadcasting rules, channels are not permitted to promote adult chat services during the daytime and the material must be suitable for a pre-watershed audience.
Ofcom added that the licence holders had transmitted content over a sustained period of time that was too sexually explicit for the time of day or for unencrypted broadcast.
It noted some of the material broadcast was so strong it would be considered equivalent to hardcore material which is not permitted on British TV either free-to-air or under encryption.
In July 2010 Ofcom fined the two companies £157,250 for serious breaches of the Broadcasting Code and other licence conditions.
The regulator said it now plans to meet all licensees that broadcast adult content to ensure they are "quite clear how seriously Ofcom takes its duties in relation to the protection of television audiences and in particular children".
Jay-ZEmpire State of Mind: How Jay-Z Went from Street Corner to Corner Office
wrote to judge to get cocaine dealer job - Musicrooms.net: "The hip-hop star said he would employ pal Emory Jones at his Roc Apparel Group - paying him $50,000 USD-a-year.
Jay-Z, real name Shawn Carter, wrote: 'I believe his attributes - including intelligence, interpersonal skills and solid work ethic - will be a significant asset for my organisation.
'He is an honest and reliable individual; it would be a privilege to offer him an opportunity.'
The letter, written to Judge Benson Legg, was included in a sentence reduction plea for Jones."
Politician had cocaine delivered: Watchdog: "report by Saskatchewan's political ethics watchdog claims a former provincial politician smoked marijuana and had cocaine delivered to his house while he was serving as an MLA.
The province's conflict of interest commissioner Ronald Barclay said in the report released Tuesday that former Saskatchewan Party MLA Serge LeClerc engaged in 'conduct that was both unethical and unlawful.'
Mr. LeClerc left the government caucus and went on medical leave in April after the CBC reported it had received a package of Internet chat room transcripts and a recording of an individual who sounded like Mr. LeClerc discussing marijuana and cocaine use in early 2009.
Mr. LeClerc-- who has described his life as a journey from 'lawbreaker to lawmaker' -- denied the accusations, but resigned his seat at the end of August for health reasons."
Moontown » Blog Archive » Cocaine worth $130 million destroyed in Belize: "Belize police on Monday destroyed 2.6 tons of cocaine that had been flown into the country illegally ten days ago.
The 80 bales of cocaine, valued at approximately $130 million (US$65 million), was found close to a damaged aircraft nine miles from Punta Gorda, the southernmost town in Belize.
The cocaine, which was kept at Punta Gorda police station for a week, was removed last Friday to Orange Walk, a town in the south of the country, some 150 miles away, where it was destroyed.
The police exercised great caution in destroying the drugs. Every bale was checked to ensure that the contents were cocaine before the substance was thrown into an incinerator.
Samples of each bail have been taken and are kept as exhibit for court proceedings"
Elton John First Took Cocaine in 1974 | Showbiz Spy - celebrity news, rumors & gossip: "ELTON John first took cocaine in 1974, when he was recording his album Caribou, in Colorado.
The Rocket Man hitmaker says his manager at the time introduced him to the drug.
“I walked into one of the back rooms in the studio,” Elton recalls, “and there was my manager and a couple of other people with this white powder in a line, and I said, ‘What on earth is that?’ They said, ‘Cocaine’, and I thought, ‘Hmmm. Can I try some?’
“I was so naive I didn’t even know my band smoked joints and they were the biggest pot-heads in the world. And I thought, I’m one of the boys now.”"
People in the News • Entertainment (www.HometownAnnapolis.com - The Capital): "Rapper Earl Simmons, also known as DMX, is denying he violated his probation.
Simmons appeared in a Phoenix courtroom Wednesday morning and denied he used cocaine and OxyContin.
Court documents allege the 39-year-old performer failed to submit to drug testing, and drove on a suspended license.
He was arrested last Thursday and was being held without bond in the Maricopa County jail. Maricopa County court commissioner Christine Mulleneaux has set Simmons' next hearing for Dec. 9."
BBC News - Public health alert issued over cocaine condition: "Public health experts in Glasgow have issued an alert to clinicians after a cocaine user was found to have a rare condition associated with the use of the Class A drug.
A patient was treated in a Glasgow hospital for methaemoglobinaemia, a serious condition affecting how oxygen is carried in the blood.
Consultant Dr Eleanor Anderson said chemicals added to increase the volume of cocaine can induce the condition.
Symptoms include blue lips and fatigue.
Sufferers can also experience headaches, abnormal heart rates, breathlessness, fatigue, exercise intolerance and dizziness.
The condition can lead to loss of consciousness, seizures and in severe cases coma and death."
Jay-Z had 'fun' dealing drugs | Music | Entertainment | Toronto Sun: "Jay-Z has fond memories of his years as a drug dealer on the streets of New York - insisting he had 'fun' selling crack cocaine.
The 99 Problems hitmaker started peddling illegal substances at the age of 12 as he grew up in a tough area of Brooklyn, but finally turned his back on the trade when his rap career took off.
And he is adamant supplying crack on street corners was 'usually' enjoyable, comparing it to socializing with colleagues around an office watercooler.
In his memoirs, Jay-Z Decoded, the rapper writes, 'It may sound strange, but it was usually a fun way to spend time. I got to hang out on the block with my crew, talking, cracking jokes. You know how people in office jobs talk at the watercooler? This job was almost all watercooler.
'But when you weren't having fun, it was hell. I got out just in time. Some of my best friends weren't so lucky.'"
DMX Arrested For Cocaine Possession | Eight Mile Road: "DMX, who was arrested earlier today, was allegedly in possession of cocaine when he was apprehended by Arizona authorities.
The rapper was subsequently charged with a myriad of offenses related to use of Oxycontin without a prescription, failing to submit to drug testing, failing to participate in counseling programs, failure to make payments and driving on a suspended license and possession of cocaine.
A formal complaint outlined the case against DMX."
Borderland Beat: Drug Lord's Death Could Empower Zetas: "A day after marines killed a reputed powerful drug lord, dozens of ominous banners apparently hung by rivals appeared Saturday in cities across Mexico’s Gulf coast with messages gloating about his demise.
The signs, hung on pedestrian bridges and other public places but quickly taken down by authorities, reinforced fears that the death of alleged Gulf cartel leader Antonio Ezequiel Cardenas Guillen will further empower the Zetas, a gang of hit men formed more than a decade ago by renegade Mexican soldiers that has become one of Mexico’s most brutal and feared drug gangs.
Former allies of the Gulf cartel, the Zetas went independ’ent earlier this year, unleashing a turf battle along the northeastern border with the United States that has at times reached the level of all-out war.
Drug gangs used vehicles to put up roadblocks Saturday morning in Reynosa, a city across from McAllen, Texas, according to Twitter messages from the Reynosa city government warning citizens to travel with caution. It was unclear if the roadblocks were related to the death of Cardenas Guillen.
Such blockades have become a near-daily gang tactic in northeastern Mexico.
But Friday night, buses and cars were used to block roads and highways in the western city of Morelia — stronghold of La Familia cartel — suggesting that the tactic could be spreading across Mexico. Several vehicles were torched, and one driver was injured when assailants stole his bus to use in the blockades, according to the attorney general’s office of Michoacan state."
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