Have you ever bought a souvenir from a local market on holiday? Or tried to travel overseas with a guitar? If so, you may have been stopped at the airport if your item contains animal or plant parts. This is because most countries, and also the EU, implement Cites, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
Cites is the main global agreement regulating international wildlife trade to ensure the protection of the 41,000 species covered by the convention. Under Cites, trade measures are established for species to ensure that international trade is legal and ecologically sustainable. For most species (96%), this comprises close regulation of trade. For more threatened species (3%), commercial international trade in wild animals and plants is banned (the remaining 1% refers to a third category of species protected in at least one country).
Under Cites, countries must prohibit international trade in violation of the convention. They are also encouraged to restrict or prohibit the collection of – and domestic trade in – Indigenous species included under Cites. Crucially, countries must enact laws to implement the convention. By design, Cites relies mainly on state-led law-enforcement to achieve its goals.
This year, as Cites marks its 50th anniversary, our new study evaluates the convention’s effectiveness. It asks whether it solves the problem for which it was designed, as well as outlining how it could be more effective.
Taking stock
Cites has had several successes. It can boast an effective system of international cooperation among 184 countries and the EU. Much international trade in Cites-listed species is legally permitted and has been determined to be sustainable. The convention has helped raise the profile of, and catalysed conservation action for, species threatened by international trade, such as pangolins and seahorses.
The convention has also supported the recovery of species, such as crocodiles and vicuña, a member of the camel family that lives in South America. Since 2010, Cites has generated awareness of, and coordinated action to address, illegal wildlife trade, most notably through the establishment of the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime.
However, there are some major problems with the Cites approach. Illegal or unsustainable wildlife trade involving thousands of Cites-listed species occurred in at least 162 signatory countries from 2015 to 2021. This includes countries such as the US that are well resourced to deter it. A predominant focus on state-led law enforcement is therefore proving ineffective in many instances.
We find that many law enforcement agencies are not well enough resourced to deter illegal collection and trade of species. Simply creating laws does not necessarily mean that people or businesses will comply with them.
Also, regulating or prohibiting international wildlife trade does not necessarily reduce the threat to the species concerned. These measures may signal scarcity and lead to price increases, which could accelerate over-exploitation by incentivising speculative collection and stockpiling. In this context, there is much room for improvement.
What needs to change
Deciding on appropriate Cites trade measures for species relies primarily on biological criteria, such as population size. Typically, that process does not involve consultation with the people extracting or trading wildlife. Nor does it really consider insights from the social sciences, including economics, on the likely impact of trade measures on wildlife and people. Decisions by the world’s governments to establish these measures are therefore highly uncertain.
To better prevent species from being overexploited for international trade through Cites, countries need to have a greater understanding of how different species are traded. This would enable them to identify the most appropriate combination of rights, rules and decision-making procedures along supply chains, and then pre-test and implement interventions specific to these systems.
Countries therefore need to analyse how species are traded. This would include looking at the relevant property rights and other laws that affect people involved in the trade, as well as understanding factors such as incentives for people to harvest species, the extent to which trade contributes to peoples’ income, and market size for traded species and products.
Countries could then reconfigure rights and rules so that they are aligned along supply chains. This is needed to avoid creating loopholes and facilitating illegal trade. Where trade (both within countries and between countries) is taking place, these arrangements should support it to be legal and sustainable. That’s the ultimate aim of Cites. The relevant actors, including collectors and traders should also be consulted – or better yet involved in co-designing regulations – so that the rules are legitimate to them.
The most appropriate interventions will depend on each country’s analysis of its own trading situation and their role in the trade of given species. They may include devolving land or use rights to Indigenous peoples so that they manage and can benefit from the species. Or interventions may be programmes to reduce consumer demand or develop responsible markets for wildlife products as appropriate.
The approach we propose in our study has the potential to reduce reliance on state-led law enforcement along international supply chains. Pluralist regulatory approaches, including self-regulation, community monitoring or the engagement of appropriate third parties, could be used to support compliance with new rules at each stage of supply chains. Where property rights are appropriately assigned, clear and enforceable, this could mean less reliance on state law-enforcement. This is because local people with a sense of ownership of wildlife are more likely to help protect it rather than overexploit it.
How could Cites be more effective? By understanding the dynamic trade systems for species in greater detail. Then, identifying the most appropriate combination of rights, rules and decision-making procedures to achieve sustainability throughout supply chains. And, finally, integrating Cites trade measures within these broader systems.
Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?
Dan Challender receives funding from the Global Challenges Research Fund through the Trade, Development, and the Environment Hub, the A. G. Leventis Foundation, and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. He serves as CITES Focal Point for the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Pangolin Specialist Group, and is a member of the IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic, and Social Policy (CEESP)/SSC Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group.
Michael ‘t Sas-Rolfes has consulted as a technical advisor to Rhinomics, an initiative working to develop an ethical and sustainable trading model for the benefit of rhino conservation. He serves on the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) African Rhino Specialist Group, and is a member of the IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic, and Social Policy (CEESP)/SSC Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sofia Nilsson Warkander, PhD Candidate, 17th-Century Literature, Stockholm University
José Lourenço’s film adaptation of German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther opens with a line on screen stating it is “based on the smash hit 1774 novel of tragic romance”. Set in contemporary Canada, it revolves around Werther (Douglas Booth), who falls tragically in love with Charlotte (Alison Pill), who is already engaged to Albert (Patrick J. Adams).
Goethe’s “smash hit” was written in a new literary landscape, where both readers and writers increasingly belonged to the growing middle class. It was one of the most influential works of the Sturm und Drang movement, also called Geniezeit (the age of genius), which cultivated individual emotion and expression, rejecting antiquated class structures in favour of an “aristocracy of feeling”.
The movement’s interest in the individual’s inner life was revolutionary at the time. Today, it has become an integral part of western ideology and culture, and is arguably part of the reason that romantic comedy is such a popular genre.
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In recent years, movie adaptations of early modern works have been made with a tongue-in-cheek style far removed from BBC adaptations of the 1990s. One notable example is Carrie Cracknell’s 2022 adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, where much of the original novel’s tone was changed for a strong flavour of the television series Fleabag. But still, successful reworkings generally show a director’s appreciation for the original.
Lourenço’s comedy, however, strips away much of the complexity of Goethe’s masterpiece. In I’ve Never Wanted Anyone More, the literary genius of The Sorrows of Young Werther is metamorphosed into tropes so contemporary that they already seem dated.
The jovial movie Werther is a trust-fund baby who loves gelato and bespoke tailoring. Instead of an artist, here he is an aspiring science-fiction writer. And although they share an enthusiasm for J.D. Salinger, the film’s Werther and Charlotte generally find more joy in sample sales and smoking joints than poetry.
The trailer for I’ve Never Wanted Anyone More.
The film also has a bizarre penis fixation. Werther’s confidant, Paul, has an obsession with semen, and his uncle repeatedly urges him to avoid condoms. In the moment of their greatest confrontation, Charlotte’s fiancé Albert and Werther agree that linden trees (a passing reference to the ones the literary Werther is buried between) smell like semen.
Apparently, after a fistfight, this is all two romantic rivals have to talk about. As the seminal male bond prevails, I can’t help feeling that the film would have been more credible without trying to be American Pie.
Adapting Goethe
Beyond passion, Goethe’s novel also depicts different social dilemmas. In the book, Werther leaves a promising bureaucratic career because he cannot overcome a sense of disgust at having to navigate social hierarchies with flattery and falseness. In fact, it often seems that it is this social order that he cannot survive, rather than his infatuation with Charlotte.
Unlike Werther, in the novel Charlotte can’t give in to her feelings, because of the expectations of female modesty of the time as well as her duty to provide for her younger siblings by marrying the well-to-do Albert.
In the film version, Charlotte is despondent about how much of her own life she has had to sacrifice to care for her family. The film’s exploration of this sacrifice, and her loneliness as Albert neglects her in favour of his work, shows the potential for a more nuanced characterisation of the heroine.
Unfortunately, I’ve Never Wanted Anyone More is typical of much contemporary screenwriting in its over-explanation of actions and desires, telling rather than showing.
Lourenço often appears inspired by Whit Stillman’s deftly crafted romantic comedies. Love and Friendship (2016), Stillman’s brilliantly funny adaptation of Jane Austen’s novella Lady Susan, could be a model for any attempt to rework centuries-old prose. However, I’ve Never Wanted Anyone More lacks the light touch and meticulous writing that made that adaptation glimmer, exposing original genius alongside the new version’s appeal.
Instead, the film turns both social analysis and tragedy into pat, moral lessons. The literary Werther’s reluctance to partake in a society still ruled by arbitrary privilege is excised from the movie. After being chastised by a friend for being unhappy instead of recognising the advantages he already possesses, Werther instead helps Albert and Charlotte improve their marital relationship.
This therapy speak seems oddly in touch with contemporary pop psychology touting the benefits of gratitude. Instead of suicide, in the film Werther’s despair is transmuted into an artistic breakthrough and an exultant trip to Berlin with Paul, as Charlotte and Albert settle into wedded bliss.
Touching on the novel’s social critique would have made for a more complex and satisfying adaptation. It also has its own interest in times of increasing income disparity and the eradication of the middle class. Keeping more such characteristic marks could have made this reworking stand out among blander cinematic fare.
I’ve Never Wanted Anyone More’s problem is that it cannot decide whether to be burlesque or emotional, whether it’s adapting a novel or its Sparknotes summary. Again, differences between model and adaptation might not be a work’s most important quality. But if the director wants to deviate so consistently, why choose a literary model at all?
Sofia Nilsson Warkander does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
It has taken decades for some to accept the devastating effects of climate change on our planet. Despite scientific evidence that was available years ago, many people were reluctant to make the connection between increasing use of fossil fuels, rising global temperatures and devastating weather events.
A key reason for this reluctance is the dislocation of cause and effect, both in time and geography. And here there are clear parallels with another deadly human activity that is causing increasing levels of suffering across the planet: the production, trafficking and consumption of illicit drugs. Here are some troubling “highlights” from the UN’s latest World Drugs Report:
Cocaine production is reaching record highs, with production climbing in Latin America coupled with drug use and markets expanding in Europe, Africa and Asia.
Synthetic drugs are also inflicting great harm on people and communities, caused by an increase in methamphetamine trafficking in south-west Asia, the near and Middle East and south-eastern Europe, and fentanyl overdoses in North America.
Meanwhile, the opium ban imposed by the de facto authorities in Afghanistan is having a significant impact on farmers’ livelihoods and incomes, necessitating a sustainable humanitarian response.
The report notes how organised criminal groups are “exploiting instability and gaps in the rule of law” to expand their trafficking operations, “while damaging fragile ecosystems and perpetuating other forms of organised crime such as human trafficking”.
Illicit drug use is damaging large parts of the world socially, politically and environmentally. Patterns of supply and demand are changing rapidly. In our new longform series Addicted, leading drug experts bring you the latest insights on drug use and production as we ask: is it time to declare a planetary emergency?
At every stage of the process of producing drugs such as cocaine, there are not only societal impacts but environmental ones too. An example of the interconnected relationship between climate change and drugs is demonstrated in the use of land.
Demand for cocaine has grown rapidly across many western countries, and meeting this can only be met by changing how land is used. Forests are cleared in South America to make way for growing coca plants. The refinement of coca into cocaine involves toxic chemicals that pollute the soil and nearby watercourses. This in turn compromises those living in these areas as access to clean water and fertile land is reduced.
Until this is reversed, these local communities will not be able to cultivate the land to earn an income or rely on water sources to live. And each year, some of their number will add to the hundreds of thousands of people around the world who die, directly or indirectly, as a result of illicit drug use.
People in the world with drug use disorders (1990-2021)
Having spent most of my career researching the human toll of drug use at almost every stage of the supply and consumption chain, I believe a complete shift in the way we think about the world’s drug problem is required.
We already have many years of evidence of the ways that drugs – both natural and (increasingly) synthetic – are destabilising countries’ legal and political institutions, devastating entire communities, and destroying millions of lives. My question is, as with climate change, why are we so slow to recognise the existential threat that drug use poses to humanity?
The disconnect between users and producers
For decades, problems with drugs have been viewed as a mainly western issue, affecting Europe, North America and Australasia in terms of drug taking. This perception was fostered in part by US president Richard Nixon’s “war on drugs” announcement in June 1971, when he declared drug abuse to be “public enemy number one”.
This western-centric focus has come at a cost – we still have little data and information about drug use and problems in Africa, for example. But we are beginning to see how far drugs and their associated devastation has reached beyond traditional western borders.
Illicit drug use has increased by 20% over the past decade, only partly due to population growth. Almost 300 million people are estimated to consume illicit drugs regularly, with the three most popular being cannabis (228 million users), opioids (60 million) and cocaine (23 million). According to the UN report:
The range of drugs available to consumers has expanded, making patterns of use increasingly complex and polydrug use a common feature in most drug markets. One in 81 people (64 million) worldwide were suffering from a drug use disorder in 2022, an increase of 3% compared with 2018.
There are multiple harmful consequences of drug use. The largest global burden of disease continues to be attributed to opioids, use of which appears to have remained stable at the global level since 2019, in contrast to other drugs.
In the same way that climate change has threatened whole populations, so too have drugs. Yet many of us remain disconnected from how they are produced and distributed – and the misery they cause throughout the supply chain, all over the world.
The production of cocaine, for example, is associated with violence and exploitation at every stage of the manufacturing process. Death threats to farmers and unwilling traffickers have all increased in parallel with the growing demand for cocaine in the US and Europe.
Global drug use disorder deaths by substance (2000-21):
Organised crime groups not only supply and distribute drugs but also trade in people, whether for the commercial sex trade or other forms of modern slavery. This makes sense as the infrastructure and contacts to move drugs are similar to those used to move humans across borders and even continents. Yet many cocaine users are oblivious – wilfully or otherwise – of the violence associated with how this drug is supplied to them. As the UK National Crime Agency points out:
Reducing demand is another critical factor in reducing the supply of illegal drugs. Many people see recreational drug use as a victimless crime. The reality is that the production of illegal drugs for western markets has a devastating impact in source countries in terms of violence, exploitation of vulnerable and indigenous people and environmental destruction.
While some of the suffering associated with the production of drugs like cocaine makes the headlines, it’s often overshadowed by the glamorisation of criminal drug gangs in films and on TV. To the extent that people worry about the impact of drugs, it’s usually focused on those in our immediate communities, such as people dependent on heroin who are sleeping rough and vulnerable to exploitation. But there have already been other victims before the drug reaches our streets.
Shifts in the global supply chain
Tracking heroin routes demonstrates the way that drug supply is an international effort which affects every community on its journey, from the Afghan farmer to officials who are bribed so the drug can cross borders or be let through ports without being seized, to the person injecting or smoking the finished product.
Much of Europe’s heroin is produced in Afghanistan by small farming operations growing opium, which is then transformed into the drug. Most Afghan farmers are simply surviving growing the crop, and don’t reap significant wealth from their harvest. It is those supplying and distributing the opium as heroin who can make serious money from it.
Meanwhile, following the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, those farmers’ livelihoods have faced a new threat.
The Taliban is ideologically opposed to the production of opium. Soon after assuming control, its leaders issued a decree banning farmers from growing opium. They have enforced this by destroying crops when farmers have ignored the ban – although there is still believed to be a significant stockpile of heroin in the country, meaning that as yet, there has not been a big impact on supply to Europe and the UK. But this could change amid the emergence of more deadly synthetic alternatives, including nitazenes and other new synthetic opioids.
Heroin trafficking flows based on reported seizures (2019-22):
Either way, the drug gangs who traffic heroin won’t worry about the opium farmers’ wellbeing. As so often happens with changes in the availability of illicit drugs, when there is a shortage, these groups prove adaptable and nimble at providing alternatives quickly.
While gathering intelligence about organised crime gangs is difficult and potentially dangerous, the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) has provided some insights about who these groups are and how they operate. The Netherlands remains an important hub for the distribution of heroin, with several Dutch criminal groups involved in importing and distributing heroin from Afghanistan.
But others are involved too: the EUDA’s intelligence shows that criminal networks with members from Kurdish background are central to the wholesale supply and have control over many parts of the supply chain. These professional, well-organised groups have established legal businesses throughout the route of supply that facilitate their illicit activities – largely along the Balkan route with hubs in Europe.
Intermediate & final recipients of heroin shipments (2019-22):
Unlike these organised crime gangs, governments and law enforcement appear to respond to emerging threats slowly and lack the flexibility and ingenuity that the gangs repeatedly demonstrate.
As drug detection techniques have improved, organised crime has shown how inventive it can be. Taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic, dealers used consignments of surgical masks to conceal large quantities of cocaine being trafficked to China and Hong Kong from South America.
And as western markets for cocaine become saturated, organised crime gangs have exploited new markets in Asia, where cocaine seizures, a proxy for use of cocaine, have increased. But the shifting landscape is also reflected in changes in consumption, with use of the synthetic stimulant methamphetamine growing rapidly in Asia – reflected in record levels of seizures in the region in 2023.
For the organised crime gangs, production and supply of synthetic drugs is in many ways easier, as it is not reliant on an agricultural crop in the way that heroin and cocaine are and can be manufactured locally. This reduces the distribution logistics and distance needed for an effective supply chain. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, organised crime gangs are exploiting gaps in law enforcement and state governance to both traffic large volumes of drugs and expand their production in the region.
Where there is destabilisation, there is opportunity for those who seek to profit from drug addiction. In Syria, Russia and Ukraine, war has made some people very rich.
Syria and Russia: the new drug hotspots
The wars in Syria and Ukraine bear testament to the way drugs provide solutions to people who are experiencing the worst of times – and to governments that are ready to exploit evolving situations.
As the war in Syria progressed, the Bashar Al-Assad regime actively developed a strategy to dominate the captagon market in the Middle East and North Africa. First produced in the 1960s in Germany to treat conditions such as attention deficit disorders and narcolepsy and other conditions, captagon is a stimulant that staves off hunger and sleep, making it ideal for military use – particularly in countries where food supplies are inconsistent. It has been referred to as the “drug of jihad” used by Islamic fighters in the region.
As the war progressed in Syria, the country and its leader became increasingly isolated, its economy crashed creating the perfect conditions to develop the trade in captagon. Rather than drug production leading to the collapse of law and order, it was the other way round.
Isolated by the west and with a historically strained relationship with its neighbours including Saudi Arabia, the Assad regime – under the guidance, reportedly, of Assad’s brother Maher al-Assad– ruthlessly positioned itself as the world’s main producer and distributor of this drug, then used this position to leverage its influence and try to reintegrate into the Arab world.
Video by TRT World.
Captagon also provided much-needed revenue for the Assad regime. The drug was estimated to be worth US$5.7 billion annually to the Syrian economy – at a time when western governments have placed severe sanctions on the country, restricting its ability to raise revenue. Saudi Arabia was one of the main countries being supplied captagon by Syria. Until the fall of Assad, it was the senior leadership in Syria that controlled the supply and distribution of the drug – giving rise to the label “the world’s largest narco state”.
The Assad government achieved this position by making captagon good value – a viable alternative to alcohol in terms of price and for those who don’t drink. Exploiting many of its own citizens, the regime encouraged individuals and businesses to participate in manufacturing and distributing the drug.
The fall of Assad and his hurried escape to Russia left the rebel fighters to pick up vast hauls of captagon and other drug ingredients. “We found a large number of devices that were stuffed with packages of captagon pills meant to be smuggled out of the country. It’s a huge quantity,” one fighter belonging to the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group told the Guardian. What this will do to drug production and supply in the region is unclear.
While the latest UN World Drug Report highlights “a rapid increase in both the scale and sophistication of drug trafficking operations in the region over the past decade”, it goes on to highlight that “one of the most striking changes worldwide in drug trafficking and drug use over the past decade has taken place in Central Asia, Transcaucasia [Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia] and eastern Europe”, where there has been a shift “away from opiates, mostly originating in Afghanistan – towards the use of synthetic stimulants, notably cathinones … There is hardly any other region where cathinones play such a significant role.”
This is part of “a groundbreaking shift in the global drug trade, pioneered in Russia and now spreading globally,” according to the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. This shift is changing the nature of drug sales, using “darknet markets and cryptocurrency for anonymous transactions, allowing buyers to retrieve drugs from hidden physical locations or ‘dead drops’, rather than direct exchanges.”
The rise of Russia’s dead drop drug trade stems from several unique national factors: restrictive anti-drug policies, strained western trade relations, and a strong technological foundation. Enabled by these conditions, the dead drop model has reshaped how drugs are distributed in Russia.
Drug transactions now involve no face-to-face interactions; instead, orders are placed online, paid for with cryptocurrency, and retrieved from secret locations across cities within hours. This system, offering convenience and anonymity, has seen synthetic drugs – especially synthetic cathinones like mephedrone – overtake traditional imported substances like cocaine and heroin in Russia … These potent synthetic drugs are cheap, easy to manufacture, and readily distributed through Russia’s vast delivery networks.
The report notes that this shift in drug distribution has been accompanied by rising levels of violence including punishment beatings, and a public health crisis.
Podcast by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.
Yet officially, there is very little reliable data about drug use in Russia. Under the premiership of Vladimir Putin, Russia has no sympathy with those who are dependent, viewing them as weak and without value. And its invasion of Ukraine three years ago has had ramifications for Ukraine’s users too.
Prior to the war, Ukraine had demonstrated an increasingly progressive policy towards those who had problems with drugs, establishing treatment centers and encouraging access to treatment. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, this strategy has been severely set back, with many people who need access to substitute treatments such as methadone unable to secure consistent supply of these drugs.
Another global blind spot is China, where, like Russia, little is known about the extent or type of problems that drugs are causing. Both regimes are ideologically opposed to recreational or problem drug use and, as far as we know, there is no state-funded rehabilitation provided in either country; the approach is to criminalise people rather than offer health-based interventions.
We shouldn’t be too critical as many western countries, including the UK, also need to pivot from a criminal approach to drug problems towards a health-focused one. Portugal made such a policy change several years ago, recognising that people who develop problems with drugs such as dependency need help rather than punishment.
This radical shift in thinking has made a significant change to the way those using drugs are treated, in the main offered help and specialist support rather than being arrested and sent to jail, only to be released and then repeat the same cycle of drug use, arrest and prison.
The evidence of this policy change is impressive: not only have drug-related deaths fallen, but population-level drug use is among the lowest in Europe. Nowhere is this policy shift more urgent than the US.
North America: epicentre of the opioid crisis
In the US, the synthetic opioids fentanyl and oxycodone have contributed to more than 100,000 fatal overdoses each year since 2021. While there are signs this deaths toll is at last beginning to fall, the harm and pain of addiction and overdose affects every strata of American society – as shown in moving portrayals of America’s opioid crisis such as Painkiller and Dopesick. Most fatalities are caused by respiratory depression where breathing is significantly slowed or stops altogether.
Official trailer for Painkiller (Netflix)
Fentanyl is an analgesic drug that is 50-100 times more potent than heroin or morphine. Where China used to be the principal manufacturer and supplier of fentanyl to the US, Mexico is now the primary source. In December 2024, Mexican authorities announced “the largest mass seizure of fentanyl pills ever made” – amounting to more than 20 million doses of fentanyl pills worth nearly US$400 million. The pills were found in Mexico’s Sinaloa state, home of the Sinaloa drug cartel and a hub of fentanyl production,
“This is what makes us rich,” one fentanyl cook recently told the New York Times. He was scathing about the idea that Donald Trump would be able to stamp out the supply of fentanyl from Mexico to the US by threatening Mexico’s government with tariffs. “Drug trafficking is the main economy here.”
However, the introduction of synthetic opioids to the US came not via organised crime but through a deliberate strategy of the pharmaceutical industry. Upon launching its prescription opioid painkiller OxyContin (a brand name for oxycodone) in 1996, Perdue Pharma, owned by the Sackler family, devised a plan to increase prescriptions of the drug by incentivizing and rewarding doctors to give these drugs to their patients. On a business level, this was a success; on a human level, it has been a disaster.
As patients quickly developed tolerance to drugs such as OxyContin, they had to take higher doses to avoid withdrawal symptoms or the positive feelings it gave them. Taking more of these opiates increases the risk of accidental overdose, many of which proved to be fatal. It has also driven those dependent on drugs to the black market, and into the hands of organised drug gangs, as they seek the drugs in greater quantities.
Dependency on fentanyl and other opioids is all-consuming. When not using these drugs, people are entirely focused on ensuring sufficient supply of the next dose. This includes funding supply which can take people to places they thought they would never be, for example breaking the law, shoplifting or getting involved in commercial sex to make enough money to buy drugs.
Synthetic opiates like OxyContin and fentanyl have proved to be classless, ageless and sex blind. The first-hand experience of addiction and fatalities have radically altered the way many Americans think about drugs and the problems they cause. Canada, too, is suffering a major crisis.
Compounding this tragedy is the failure of the state to provide interventions and treatment that could have reduced fatal and non-fatal overdoses. It is only now that evidence-based interventions are beginning to be made widely available, such as access to Naloxone – a drug that can reverse the effects of opiates and potentially save a life.
Of course, it isn’t just hospitals and health professionals that are challenged by the results of widespread use of opioids, but public services like the police and fire service. In some areas of the US, there have been so many daily overdoses that every service was called on to try and deal with it. Local mayors have made it a priority to train police and fire personnel to be trained as first responders, such is the scale of the problem.
But it is not just in North America that we see the failure of politicians and the state to act when faced with growing problems with drugs. In the UK, where record numbers are dying because of using drugs such as heroin, the government has not invested in overdose prevention strategies. At a time when fatal overdoses increase year on year, budgets for specialist treatment have been reduced. It remains to be seen what the recently elected Labour government will do, if anything, to tackle the tragic rise in drug related fatalities.
What connects both examples from the US and UK is the attitude and perception of drug use many of us have. Drug use and the heavy use of prescription painkillers is still heavily stigmatised. Many of us still view this as something individuals bring on themselves or have a choice about.
So, if we don’t care about what happens to people who develop problems with drugs, why should our elected representatives? In part, it is our bigotry that is enabling the lack of timely intervention, despite us possessing the knowledge and evidence of how drug harms can be minimised.
Latin America: breakdown of the rule of law
Under the last Conservative government, the UK Home Office asserted that people who used cocaine recreationally are supporting violence not only in the UK but in the countries that produce its raw ingredients. It’s not clear if this has made any difference to those using cocaine in the UK – personally, I doubt many people consider or are aware of how cocaine is produced or its provenance.
Perhaps if those using cocaine, mainly in western countries, realised the extent of violence and suffering that cocaine manufacture causes they might think again. Latin America has suffered enormously, with few countries there not touched in some way by the violence and breakdown of law associated with drug production and supply. According to the latest UN World Drugs Report:
Global cocaine supply reached a record high in 2022, with more than 2,700 tons of cocaine produced that year, 20% more than in the previous year … The impact of increased cocaine trafficking has been felt in Ecuador in particular, which has seen a wave of lethal violence in recent years linked to both local and transnational crime groups, most notably from Mexico and the Balkan countries.
Cocaine seizures and homicide rates increased five-fold between 2019 and 2022 in Ecuador, with the highest such rates reported in the coastal areas used for trafficking the drug to major destination markets in North America and Europe.
Cocaine trafficking flows based on reported seizures (2019-22):
As with opium production in Afghanistan, it is small-scale farmers in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia that grow the coca plant that will be turned into cocaine. Like their Afghan counterparts, they grow coca as it is more profitable than alternatives such as coffee. While it may be profitable in the short term, there are greater costs to them and their society.
Cocaine production brings with it violence as those further up the drug production chain try to control its trade. Few parts of these societies are unscathed, from bribing local politicians through to whole regions that are controlled by organised crime. Keeping control means that the use of firearms and violence increases. Against this backdrop, it is unsurprising that basic health and social services suffer.
So, while a coca grower may have more money, every other aspect of their life is negatively impacted. Whether it is regional or state institutions, both are compromised by the drug trade and those that control it. While this may not lead to the total collapse of law and order, it does create injustice and distorts the rule of law in many areas of Latin America and the Caribbean, where competition between gangs has also resulted in an increase in homicides.
The impact is on all sectors of society, now and into the future. For example, while historically the role of women has been largely underrepresented in research and drug policy, the UN report recognises that this is changing:
As women increasingly participate in economic activities, the role that women play in the drug phenomenon may become increasingly important. For example, a shift away from plant-based drug production may affect many women in rural households involved in opium poppy and coca bush cultivation.
The UN also identifies the specific risk to young people and the drugs trade, highlighting:
Long-term efforts to dismantle drug economies must provide socioeconomic opportunities and alternatives, which go beyond merely replacing illicit crops or incomes and instead address the root structural causes behind illicit crop cultivation, such as poverty, underdevelopment, and insecurity. They must also target the factors driving the recruitment of young people into the drug trade, who are at particular risk of synthetic drug use.
Meanwhile, demand for treatment in Europe due to problems with cocaine has risen significantly in recent years, since 2011 there has been an 80% increase in treatment presentations. This reflects the growing number of people using cocaine and the rise in purity of the drug.
Amid what may seem to be a story of unrelenting despair and hopelessness, there are local initiatives and even a few state-wide policies that provide optimism that change is possible.
In my roles both as clinician and scientist, I’ve often been amazed by how ingenious people can be when faced with the apparently impossible. For example, the way some people use heroin to dampen their psychotic symptoms, such as auditory and visual hallucinations – or the development of Naloxone, a drug that can temporarily reverse the effects of opioids, providing a short window for emergency services to treat people who have overdosed.
Early in my career, I witnessed the emergence of HIV in the UK in the 1980s. The speed at which this disease spread was not matched by our ability to treat it. Our response to HIV was undoubtedly hampered by prejudice and stigma towards marginalised groups in society, namely gay men and those using drugs (particularly injecting them).
However, unexpectedly and courageously, the Conservative government recognised those who were most at risk of contracting HIV, and organised a package of measures to contain the spread of infection. One part of this was a media campaign based on public health messaging designed to reduce the risk of contracting the disease. But the government also invested in treatment for those who had been infected and engaged with people at high risk, such as those intravenously injecting drugs.
I worked in specialist HIV clinics for those using drugs. At the time, methadone and diamorphine were provided as an alternative to heroin. Regulations and protocols that restricted the prescribing of these medical opioids were eased, so we could ensure patients attending these clinics were given sufficient oral and injectable opioids that they didn’t need to source street heroin.
This meant they had access to medical grade opioids and, crucially, were given regular supplies of sterile injecting equipment. It was this that reduced the risk of contracting HIV, as some people would share injecting equipment when using heroin.
This impressive policy ran counter to the Conservative party’s ideology at the time, which was to punish rather than help those using drugs like heroin. It showed me how, even with traditional mindsets, it is possible to shift policy thinking in the face of a health crisis. And make no mistake, the global drug problem is an ongoing health crisis. Today, the UN points to the risks that intravenous users of drugs still face:
An estimated 13.9 million people injected drugs in 2022, with the largest number living in North America and East and South-East Asia … The relative risk of acquiring HIV is 14 times higher for those who inject drugs than in the wider population globally.
There are, though, signs of positive change in the way some countries and regions are changing their drug policies. Scotland recently opened a drug consumption facility in Glasgow – a safe place for people to use their drugs, usually injecting drugs like heroin. Such spaces provide access to sterile injecting equipment, reducing the risk of blood-borne infections such as HIV or Hepatitis. At the same time, they offer the opportunity to engage with people who have not accessed traditional health services.
Portugal, as mentioned earlier, has made substantial changes to the way it approaches drug use and the problems associated with it. This policy shift since 2000 has saved lives and brought a more humane way of treating people who develop problems with drugs.
Contrast this with the wasted effort and resources ploughed into the war on drugs – initiated by Nixon and followed by so many western governments ever since. My plea to policymakers is simple: employ the same evidence-based science you use for health issues towards drugs and problem drug use.
Science and research can help in many ways, if given the chance. Some of it might seem radical, like providing safe drug consumption spaces. Some of it is more mundane, but vital – like tackling inequality, a clear driver of problem drug use across the world.
But while we often look to politicians to take the lead on change, it is people – us – that really hold the solution. By far the greatest threat to people and society from drugs is ignorance and bigotry. So many lives have been lost to drugs because of shame, either as a driver of drug use or a barrier to seeking help.
Beliefs are notoriously difficult to shift. As with climate change, the most powerful driver of change is personal experience. We know that when a family or community is affected by a drug overdose, their beliefs and perceptions change. But this is not the way any of us should want to see change happen.
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Ian Hamilton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jennifer Mathers, Senior Lecturer in International Politics, Aberystwyth University
North Korea is believed to be preparing to send another group of soldiers to come to Vladimir Putin’s aid in the war in Ukraine, despite heavy combat losses already suffered by troops from the east Asian country.
When Ukrainian forces crossed the border into the Kursk region of Russia in August 2024, Ukraine’s military commanders hoped that their surprise move would force Moscow to withdraw troops from eastern Ukraine to defend Russia’s own territory. Kyiv did not expect its troops to end up fighting North Koreans.
Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang have officially confirmed that North Korean troops are fighting side by side with Russians. But South Korean intelligence has been reporting on their presence since October 2024, when approximately 1,500 North Korean special forces were observed to have arrived in Russia’s far eastern city of Vladivostok, initially for training.
This group was later joined by another 10,000 or so of their comrades (some of whom are also believed to be from North Korean special forces units). They were transported nearly 7,000 kilometres across Russia to reach the combat zone.
North Korea, an isolated dictatorship with few allies, is one of Russia’s most reliable suppliers of weapons, including missiles and millions of rounds of ammunition that Russia needs to continue to fight its war against Ukraine. North Korea, however, would seem to have little reason to send its own people to risk their lives in that conflict. But North Korean soldiers appear to be at the heart of a deal struck by North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong-un and Russian president Vladimir Putin.
What does Putin want?
For Putin the gains are clear. His campaign in Ukraine has received a much-needed influx of trained soldiers to shore up efforts to retake Russian territory occupied by Ukrainian forces.
Although the numbers of North Korean troops are relatively small, their strategic deployment allows Russia to push the Ukrainians back without diverting any of its forces from their offensive operations in eastern Ukraine. Expectations are high that Donald Trump’s return to the White House could mean an end to the war – or at least a pause – sooner rather than later. This gives Putin an incentive to occupy as much Ukrainian territory as possible ahead of a ceasefire, when occupied areas are likely to form the basis of territorial settlements.
The suggestion that Russia is not capable of maintaining its position in Ukraine and also defending its own territory without the addition of foreign troops is very revealing.
Moscow is struggling to recruit enough of its own citizens to fight in Ukraine. This is despite offering salaries and benefits packages to prospective soldiers that are beyond generous. The lack of resistance to Kyiv’s summer incursion into Russian territory made it clear that Russia is relying upon barely trained conscripts – that is, teenage boys doing their one year of compulsory military service – to defend its borders rather than professional soldiers. And while Russia has regained control of a substantial proportion – perhaps more than 60% – of the area seized by Ukraine in the summer, this has taken nearly six months to accomplish.
What does Kim Jong-un want?
For Kim Jong-un, sending his soldiers to fight with Russia provides his troops with valuable experience of combat in a conflict that is rapidly defining how war will be waged in the future.
Since the end of the Korean War (1950-53), Pyongyang has placed a high priority on maintaining a large and heavily armed standing army. After training, North Korean soldiers are mostly used for patrolling the de-militarized zone that marks its border with South Korea. Participating in Russia’s war against Ukraine provides the North Korean military with its first experience of combat in more than 70 years.
North Korean soldiers captured in Ukraine.
Observations from Ukrainian soldiers suggest the North Korean soldiers are courageous and determined fighters but with no experience of actual combat. The Ukrainians have described the North Koreans as relying on strategies typical of the second world war – for example advancing in large groups on foot, where they provide easy targets for artillery and drone strikes. They were also apparently bemused by the appearance of drones on the battlefield and had no idea that these objects could deliver lethal attacks.
This degree of inexperience, together with Russia’s tactic of using the North Koreans to draw the fire of the Ukrainians and clear the way for the Russians to advance, is believed to be the reason for such high losses so soon after their deployment.
In January the Ukrainians managed to capture two North Koreans and question them, which has provided the clearest picture so far of their experiences of fighting with the Russian armed forces. The North Korean soldiers both had false identity papers with Russian names, which is consistent with official denials of their presence. The men, who do not speak any foreign languages and had to be questioned through an interpreter, said that they had both been soldiers for several years. This supports the Ukrainians’ impression that the North Koreans are trained and disciplined. Both prisoners, however, reportedly believed they were being sent to Russia to participate in training exercises, not to fight in a war.
Considering the heavy losses and the brutal treatment that North Korean troops have already suffered, Kim Jong-un might be expected to seek the speedy return of his soldiers rather than preparing to send more of their comrades to fight with Russia. But high casualties on the battlefield seems to be a price that North Korea’s president is willing to pay for combat experience that might give his army an edge in any future war that he fights on his own behalf.
Jennifer Mathers does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The UK government’s new plan to foster innovation through artificial intelligence (AI) is ambitious. Its goals rely on the better use of public data, including renewed efforts to maximise the value of health data held by the NHS. Yet this could involve the use of real data from patients using the NHS. This has been highly controversial in the past and previous attempts to use this health data have been at times close to disastrous.
Patient data would be anonymised, but concerns remain about potential threats to this anonymity. For example, the use of health data has been accompanied by worries about access to data for commercial gain. The care.data programme, which collapsed in 2014, had an similar underlying idea: sharing health data across the country to both publicly funded research bodies and private companies.
Poor communication about the more controversial elements of this project and a failure to listen to concerns led to the programme being shelved. More recently, the involvement of the US tech company Palantir in the new NHS data platform raised questions about who can and should access data.
The new effort to use health data to train (or improve) AI models, similarly relies on public support for success. Yet perhaps unsurprisingly, within hours of this announcement, media outlets and social media users attacked the plan as a way of monetising health data. “Ministers mull allowing private firms to make profit from NHS data in AI push,” one published headline reads.
These responses, and those to care.data and Palantir, reflect just how important public trust is in the design of policy. This is true no matter how complicated technology becomes – and crucially, trust becomes more important as societies increase in scale and we’re less able to see or understand every part of the system. It can, though, be difficult, if not impossible, to make a judgement as to where we should place trust, and how to do that well. This holds true whether we are talking about governments, companies, or even just acquaintances – to trust (or not) is a decision each of us must make every day.
The challenge of trust motivates what we call the “trustworthiness recognition problem”, which highlights that determining who is worthy of our trust is something that stems from the origins of human social behaviour. The problem comes from a simple issue: anyone can claim to be trustworthy and we can lack sure ways to tell if they genuinely are.
If someone moves into a new home and sees ads for different internet providers online, there isn’t a sure way to tell which will be cheaper or more reliable. Presentation doesn’t need – and may not even often – reflect anything about a person or group’s underlying qualities. Carrying a designer handbag or wearing an expensive watch doesn’t guarantee the wearer is wealthy.
Luckily, work in anthropology, psychology and economics shows how people – and by
consequence, institutions like political bodies – can overcome this problem. This work is known as signalling theory, and explains how and why communication, or what we can call the passing of information from a signaller to a receiver, evolves even when the individuals communicating are in conflict.
For example, people moving between groups may have reasons to lie about their identities. They might want to hide something unpleasant about their own past. Or they might claim to be a relative of someone wealthy or powerful in a community. Zadie Smith’s recent book, The Fraud, is a fictionalised version of this popular theme that explores aristocratic life during Victorian England.
Yet it’s just not possible to fake some qualities. A fraud can claim to be an aristocrat, a doctor, or an AI expert. Signals that these frauds unintentionally give off will, however, give them away over time. A false aristocrat will probably not fake his demeanour or accent effectively enough (accents, among other signals, are difficult to fake to those familiar with them).
The structure of society is obviously different than that of two centuries ago, but the problem, at its core, is the same — as, we think, is the solution. Much as there are ways for a truly wealthy person to prove wealth, a trustworthy person or group must be able to show they are worth trusting. The way or ways this is possible will undoubtedly vary from context to context, but we believe that political bodies such as governments must demonstrate a willingness to listen and respond to the public about their concerns.
The care.data project, was criticised because it was publicised via leaflets dropped at people’s doors that did not contain an opt-out. This failed to signal to the public a real desire to alleviate people’s concerns that information about them would be misused or sold for profit.
The current plan around the use of data to develop AI algorithms needs to be different. Our political and scientific institutions have a duty to signal their commitment to the public by listening to them, and through doing so develop cohesive policies that minimise the risks to individuals while maximising the potential benefits for all.
The key is to place sufficient funding and effort to signal – to demonstrate – the honest motivation of engaging with the public about their concerns. The government and scientific bodies have a duty to listen to the public, and further to explain how they will protect it. Saying “trust me” is never enough: you have to show you are worth it.
Richard Milne receives funding from Wellcome under grant 220540/Z/20/A to the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the Kavli Foundation, grant G115418 to the University of Cambridge.
Jonathan R Goodman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Visit a supermarket in 2025 and you’ll see that a tub of Lurpak butter can cost £5.70. It may strike you that this represents a staggering increase from £3.65 just three years ago, so instead of paying the premium, you reach for the supermarket’s own brand at £3.80.
This kind of switch, multiplied across millions of shopping baskets, represents a massive shift in consumer behaviour that has been largely invisible to official statistics. But that’s changing, as the UK embarks on its biggest revolution in measuring living costs since the second world war.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is transforming the way it tracks inflation, moving from painstakingly checking prices to analysing millions of real purchases through supermarket scanners. Consider olive oil, the price of which surged by 47% in a year, or milk, which jumped by more than 25%. While official statistics captured these price rises, they couldn’t track how households adapted – whether by switching to cheaper alternatives, buying less, or cutting back elsewhere. This was a blind spot in our understanding of consumer behaviour.
Currently, price collectors visit stores across the country each month, checking the prices of about 25,000 products. It’s like taking a snapshot of what’s on the shelves at a particular moment. But this system, designed decades ago, often misses the real impact of inflation on different household types in things like choosing different products or switching stores.
This is crucial for understanding the real impact of inflation on lower-income households. These families often have less flexibility in their budgets and must make more dramatic changes to their shopping habits when prices rise. During recent periods of high inflation, many on low incomes found that official figures didn’t match their experience, which was of even higher inflation than the headline rates. And there’s a good reason why.
Inflation statistics aren’t just academic exercises. They drive decisions that affect every aspect of our financial lives. The Bank of England uses them to set interest rates, which in turn influence mortgage payments and savings returns. Employers use them in wage negotiations. Government uses them to adjust benefits, state pensions and tax thresholds. Even commercial contracts, including mobile phone bills and rail fares, are often linked to inflation rates.
When these numbers don’t accurately reflect price pressures, it can have serious consequences. If official figures underestimate the inflation experienced by lower-income households, benefit increases might not keep pace with their actual cost increases. Similarly, if wages don’t rise in line with real living costs, workers effectively experience a pay cut.
The scanner data revolution
The ONS’s new approach, to be introduced next year, will analyse around 300 million price points from supermarket scanners, covering about half of all grocery transactions in the UK. Instead of just seeing what’s on the shelf, they’ll know exactly what prices people are paying at checkouts across the country.
This massive increase in data points – from 25,000 to 300 million – will allow for a more nuanced understanding of consumer behaviour.
The change will also enable quicker identification of emerging price trends. After the start of the COVID pandemic and the Ukraine war, prices of certain goods changed rapidly. Scanner data could help spot these changes faster, allowing for more timely policy responses. It might also reveal regional variations in price pressures.
Take the 2023 surge in food prices – while overall food inflation hit 19%, the impact varied dramatically across households. Current statistics would not capture lower-income families switching from fresh to frozen vegetables, or from branded to value ranges.
In times of cost pressures, shoppers may switch from fresh produce to frozen. sirtravelalot/Shutterstock
With scanner data, policymakers could spot these trends quickly and respond more precisely – perhaps by adjusting benefit payments or targeting support to specific households when essential food costs spike. Instead of waiting for quarterly surveys to reveal hardship, they will be able to see in real time how different groups are coping with price pressures.
The ONS recently said full implementation will come in 2026, a year later than planned. While it will have the technical capability ready by March 2025, it is opting for a year of parallel running to ensure accuracy. This approach reflects how crucial these statistics are for the economy.
It has already modernised other areas of price collection, including incorporating 40 million train fare data points and 300,000 used car prices. But grocery prices, being central to household budgets and varying significantly across different income groups, require extra attention.
The change is coming at a crucial time. Recent years have shown how rapidly economic conditions can change and how differently these changes can affect various segments of society. The pandemic, Brexit adjustments, and global supply chain disruptions have all contributed to price pressures.
For consumers, while the changes won’t directly lower prices, they could lead to more appropriate responses from the Bank of England, government and employers. Most importantly, it could ensure that official inflation figures better reflect the reality of the weekly shop, particularly during times of economic stress.
The transformation of inflation statistics might seem like a technical detail, but its implications reach far beyond government offices and economic reports. It’s about ensuring that the official measures of living costs better reflect the reality experienced by millions of households across the UK. In this challenging economic environment, that’s something worth getting right.
Marcel Lukas receives funding from the British Academy. He is the Director of Executive Education at the University of St Andrews and Fellow of the ONS. The presented views are his own and do not represent the ONS.
Portsmouth City Council’s administration has announced proposals that address immediate and unexpected financial pressures without impacting services to residents. Alongside this the plans also look to mitigate one of the largest financial pressures facing councils across the country.
Nationally councils are facing increasing demand and costs for social care services and temporary accommodation.
In Portsmouth the number of households in temporary accommodation has gone up by 54% in the last year to more than 500, while the costs have risen by 84%. This resulted in the current forecast of costs going £5.9m over budget in 2024/25, even higher than the 5.6m shortfall predicted in October 2024.
The budget proposals include investing £31m in acquiring properties to use as temporary accommodation for residents who might find themselves in situations where they have been made homeless. This would reduce the current need to rely on less suitable but costly privately-rented accommodation, with an expectation this will start to ease the existing budget pressure this year and significantly improve the position over the following two years.
Cllr Steve Pitt, Leader of Portsmouth City Council, said:
“It is good news for the city that we’re able to put forward a budget that addresses the immediate financial pressures without reducing services that people rely on.
However, there are funding problems nationally with social care and temporary accommodation that need to be solved. As insufficient government support is coming forward we want to take the proactive steps we can to address these issues and provide better solutions for our residents. The revenue budget savings need to come from £191m of council spending and will take the council’s total savings made in the last 14 years to £110m.
“Last year it was forecast we would need to save £1m in this budget, these spending pressures doubled that and we need to stop that happening in future years. By investing in our own temporary accommodation stock we can save the council tens of millions of pounds in the next decade.”
In addition to the longer-term view the council’s administration is proposing £2m of savings to its revenue budget, which will be met through efficiencies and generating extra income without seeing any significant reduction in services to the public.
The proposals also include raising council tax in line with government’s expectation of 4.99%, 2% of which will go specifically towards funding adult social care. In total the council tax increase would raise £5.1m for the council and see the average Portsmouth home’s (band B) council tax bill increase by the equivalent of £1.29 per week.
Cllr Pitt added:
“We are always mindful of the impact of the decision to increase council tax and don’t take the decision lightly, but the funding government gives us is based on the assumption we will increase council tax by 4.99%, and it still isn’t enough to pay for everything we need. Councils relying on significant use of reserves to balance budgets are increasingly finding themselves in severe financial distress and here in Portsmouth we will not allow that to happen. The only alternative to raising council tax, is to reduce services that people rely on and doing that would hurt our residents even more, especially those who rely on them the most.”
The council will be receiving additional income from renting out new business spaces while there will be increases of 10p or 20p an hour to parking charges in certain locations, in line with existing policy. This follows a freeze on parking charges last year, meaning it is a below inflation increase over the two-year period.
The proposals also include investment in regeneration and economic development, such as future development of the city centre. Funding has been allocated to develop options for regenerating Guildhall Square and finding a more efficient solution to the current Civic Offices building, alongside continued financial support for the City Centre North project, which will deliver new housing, leisure and retail space to the area.
The budget proposals will be considered at the council’s Cabinet meeting on 11 February and if accepted will then go to the Full Council meeting on 25 February for approval.
DENVER — Today, Governor Jared Polis, the Office of Just Transition (OJT) within the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE), and the Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) announced two new Coal Transition Community Assistance grants aimed at supporting local economic diversification efforts in Moffat and Rio Blanco Counties. These grants are part of the state’s broader initiative to support communities impacted by the decline of coal-powered electricity production in Colorado.
“Colorado is helping communities succeed in new ways, which will create more jobs for local workers and save people money. We are committed to helping communities in Western Colorado plan for the future,” said Governor Polis.
“Communities in Northwest Colorado are working hard to diversify their economies, and we are pleased to support those efforts. When economic development plans are based on local strengths and opportunities, we see greater impacts for Coloradans,” said Eve Lieberman, OEDIT Executive Director.
City of Craig Awarded $1,051,000 for Business and Industrial Park In Moffat County, the City of Craig has been awarded $1,051,000 to purchase property for the development of a new business and industrial park. The park will be strategically located with access to both the Union Pacific rail line and 1st Street in Craig, offering excellent opportunities for growth and investment.
“The Office of Just Transition plays a critical role in promoting stability, recovery, and sustainability for regions like NW Colorado, as we all anticipate the impacts from coal mine and power plant closures,” said Craig City Manager Peter Brixius. “In the face of these impacts, we are very pleased that OJT is a partner in our vision for the future growth and development of new and expanding opportunities for our region. The acquisition of this property in Craig will establish a business park in an area that will provide a skilled and ready workforce with a quality of life that includes world class recreational opportunities right in our backyard. We are planning a business park for those looking for flexibility and services, as they make fiscally responsible decisions, and at the same time realize their dreams.”
The City of Craig will collaborate with a private developer to begin the master planning process for the park. In addition to the Coal Transition Community grant, the project has been awarded $2.5 million in Congressionally Designated Spending to cover horizontal infrastructure costs.
Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District Awarded $100,000 for Wolf Creek Reservoir Study The Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District has been awarded $100,000 to conduct a comprehensive survey and report on the potential impacts of a new reservoir in Rio Blanco County. The study will evaluate the impact of the proposed new reservoir on agricultural production, flatwater recreation, and a countywide water augmentation plan designed to increase the supply of water available for beneficial use. This award will not bias various state and federal permitting processes required for this project.
“Our economy is transitioning away from fossil fuel electric generation, and a reliable water supply is a key component of this critical economic transition,” said Alden Vanden Brink with the Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District.
“This study will provide important information that will guide the future of the Wolf Creek Reservoir and help ensure that we understand the economic potential of the project,” said OJT Director Wade Buchanan. “By investing in such efforts, we continue to support the long-term prosperity of communities in the Yampa Valley.”
About the Office of Just Transition: Colorado created the Office of Just Transition within Colorado’s Department of Labor and Employment in 2019 to assist workers and communities that will be adversely affected by the loss of jobs and revenues due to the closure of coal mines and coal-fired power plants. Its purpose is to help workers transition to new, high-quality, jobs, to help communities continue to thrive by expanding and attracting diverse businesses, and to replace lost revenues. To learn more about the Office of Just Transition, its action plan and the corresponding legislation, please visit cdle.colorado.gov/offices/the-office-of-just-transition.
About Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade: The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) works with partners to create a positive business climate that encourages dynamic economic development and sustainable job growth. OEDIT partners with businesses and communities to offer financial, technical, and advisory assistance. From business retention services to incentives and funding, OEDIT supports economic growth across Colorado through its diverse programs and services. To learn more, visit oedit.colorado.gov.
The Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
It was founded thanks to the generous philanthropic support of the Calhoun family in 2004.
Dr. Bruce T. Liang, cardiovascular physician-scientist at the Calhoun Cardiology Center (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health photo)
“As founding director of the Calhoun Cardiology Center, the last two decades have been quite an exciting ride. It’s been a wonderful and gratifying experience seeing the comprehensive center triple its growth in both patient volumes and providers and adding new specialties such as electrophysiology, vascular surgery, and cardiovascular surgery,” says Dean Dr. Bruce T. Liang, the Ray Neag Distinguished Professor of Cardiovascular Biology and Medicine.
Coach Jim Calhoun and his wife Pat visited the Center on May 8 to applaud the cardiology faculty and staff for their longstanding contributions advancing cardiovascular care, research breakthroughs, and education of the next generation of heart specialists.
The Center is also on the forefront of cardiovascular research thanks to the endowment of the Calhoun family, and NIH funding to the Center has grown to millions of dollars annually for cutting-edge research. One of those innovative NIH-funded researchers is Dr. Travis Hinson, cardiovascular physician-scientist at UConn Health/JAX who serves as the Pat and Jim Calhoun Endowed Professor.
His Cardiovascular Genetics Program is translating innovative laboratory findings for the next generation of patient treatments.
UConn Health/JAX”s Dr. Travis J. Hinson leads the successful Cardiovascular Genetics Program of the Calhoun Cardiology Center.
“Our translational cardiovascular medicine makes UConn very unique. Thanks to the Calhouns we have exponentially expanded genetic precision medicine and have tested over 1,000 heart patients and their families to help them get the best, personalized treatments possible. It’s really exciting. Coach Calhoun, Pat, and their family’s recognition of UConn’s excellence have helped us grow. The Calhouns have made a huge impact.”
Liang concludes, “Coach Calhoun is larger than life and is an inspiring figure on and off the court at UConn. He believes in the power of the Calhoun Cardiology Center and has put his heart and soul into it. We are extremely thankful to Coach. Thank you.”
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Marc Weiss, 50, of Charlotte, was sentenced today to 40 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for embezzling approximately $1.6 million from two small businesses, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In addition to the prison term imposed, Weiss was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,644,235.77.
Jason Byrnes, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Charlotte Field Office, and Sheriff Darren Campbell of the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office, join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.
According to filed court documents and the sentencing hearing, from 2016 to 2022, Weiss engaged in a scheme to defraud two Mooresville, N.C. small businesses that employed him as a bookkeeper. Over the course of the scheme, Weiss, who was a trusted employee, abused his position and access to the companies’ financial accounts to make more than 100 fraudulent transfers totaling $1.6 million from the companies’ accounts into bank accounts under Weiss’s control. Court documents show that Weiss began to embezzle from the second company while he was already stealing from the first one. To disguise the fraud, Weiss created fake entries in the victim companies’ books and records, categorizing the fraudulent transfers as payments to existing vendors for software development, and advertising and marketing expenses.
According to court records, Weiss used the embezzled funds, in part, to pay for his personal lifestyle, including rent payments for a luxury apartment uptown; payments for high-end vehicles, including an Audi and a Mercedes-Benz; purchases at luxury retail stores, including Luis Vuitton, Gucci, Neiman Marcus, and Tiffany, among others; and luxury vacations, including multiple stays in The Ritz Carlton hotel.
In October 2023, Weiss pleaded guilty to wire fraud. He will be ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the U.S. Secret Service and the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office for their investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney William Bozin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that on January 31, 2025, THELMA “WENDY” EPPS, 60, of Hartford, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 27 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for health care fraud.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Epps was a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor (LADC) with an office located at 330 Main Street in Hartford. In April 2013, she enrolled as a participating provider in the Connecticut Medicaid program along with an entity affiliated with Epps called Miracles to Destiny LLC. In July 2018, the Medicaid program suspended Epps from participating as a provider in the program based on a finding of a credible allegation of fraud. Medicaid told Epps that any attempt to circumvent her suspension by submitting claims for services performed by Epps or Miracles to Destiny LLC through other agencies or other billing numbers would result in termination of her provider agreement.
In 2019, Epps entered into an agreement with Dennis Tomczak, a Connecticut LADC who was a participating provider in Medicaid. Epps and Tomczak agreed that Tomczak would bill Medicaid using his Medicaid provider number for psychotherapy counseling services purportedly provided by Epps. These claims falsely represented that Tomczak had personally provided the services. In return for Tomczak billing the services, Epps agreed to pay Tomczak 25 percent of the amount Medicaid paid Tomczak. Between approximately April 2019 and November 2022, Medicaid paid Tomczak $330,547.71 for fraudulent claims for services purportedly provided by Epps that were billed under Tomczak’s provider number.
At some point during their scheme, Tomczak expressed concerns to Epps about the number and frequency of services that Epps told Tomczak she was providing. At about this time, Epps entered into a similar agreement with Shawn Tyson, a LADC in Connecticut, whereby Tyson would use his Medicaid provider number to submit claims to Medicaid for services Epps purportedly provided to Medicaid clients.
In November 2019, Epps assisted Tyson with the process of enrolling Tyson as a participating provider in Medicaid. Tyson’s provider application listed the location at which Tyson would provide services as 330 Main Street, Third Floor, in Hartford, the location of Epps’s and Miracles to Destiny LLC’s office. Once Tyson was enrolled as a Medicaid provider, Tyson provided Epps with his login information to the online portal for submitting claims to Medicaid, which Epps then used to submit claims. For a brief period before Tyson was enrolled as a Medicaid provider, unbeknownst to Tomczak, Epps submitted claims through Tomczak’s provider number for services purportedly provided by Tyson, by representing to Tomczak that she had performed these services. Medicaid paid Tomczak a total of $7,879.40 for these services.
During the scheme involving Epps and Tyson, Tyson would provide Epps the names of Medicaid patients and dates that Tyson purportedly provided psychotherapy counseling services to the patients, and Epps would then bill Medicaid for these services using Tyson’s provider number. Epps would also submit claims using Tyson’s provider number for services she purportedly provided to Medicaid patients. These claims falsely represented that Tyson had personally provided the services to the patients.
Epps and Tyson submitted and caused to be submitted claims for hundreds of thousands of dollars of psychotherapy services that neither Epps nor Tyson had actually provided to Medicaid clients. When Epps warned Tyson that he should not bill Medicaid for having provided psychotherapy to patients on holidays, such as July 4 and Thanksgiving, Tyson would typically change the dates of services and resubmit the list of services to Epps.
Medicaid paid Tyson $663,081.32 for claims that falsely represented that Tyson had personally provided services, or falsely represented that services had been provided when, in fact, they were not provided at all.
Judge Dooley ordered Epps to pay $1,001,058.43 in restitution to the Connecticut Medicaid program.
On November 8, 2024, Epps pleaded guilty to health care fraud. Epps, who is released on a $50,000 bond, is required to report to prion on March 3.
Tomczak and Tyson pleaded guilty to related charges and await sentencing.
This investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Connecticut Department of Social Services. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Sheldon and Auditor Susan Spiegel.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Connecticut Chief State’s Attorney’s Office, and Connecticut Attorney General’s Office meet regularly as part of The Medicaid Fraud Working Group. The Working Group also includes representatives from the Connecticut Department of Social Services; the Connecticut Department of Public Health; the Drug Control Division of the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection; the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the FBI. The Working Group reviews pending issues and cases, identifies trends that might indicate fraudulent activity, and coordinates efforts for maximum results.
People who suspect health care fraud are encouraged to report it by calling 1-800-HHS-TIPS.
EVANSVILLE— James Henley, 35, of Greenwood, Indiana, has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit access device fraud, two counts of money laundering, and eight counts of wire fraud. Henley has also been ordered to pay $1,887,426.63 in restitution.
According to court documents, over the course of three years, Henley orchestrated multiple large and complex fraud schemes, resulting in a total loss of $2,927,758.95 to individual homeowners, an Indiana attorney, a bank, and ten state governments. As part of his fraud schemes, Henley registered five fake businesses (OnTrack Real Estate Solutions, LDI Investments Corp, Lucario Investments, 317 Traffic, and Henley Real Estate Solutions) with the states of Indiana and Kentucky, claiming to serve as the Chief Executive Officer for most of them. None of the businesses were legitimate. Instead, Henley used the businesses to mask his identity, make his schemes appear more credible, and launder the stolen money.
Henley’s schemes are broken down as follows:
COVID-19 Fraud:
Between May 2020 and March 2021, James Henley, his wife Jameka Henley, and his associate Jimmie Bickers used the stolen personally identifiable information of 76 real individuals to submit 120 unemployment insurance applications to ten states during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once the applications were approved, the trio used 65 unemployment insurance debit cards to make purchases at retailers and withdraw cash at ATMs in the Evansville and Indianapolis areas. The states paid a total of $1,119,426.63 in unemployment benefits in connection with the group’s fraudulent applications. In July 2020, Henley used funds withdrawn from ATMs to buy a Chevrolet Camaro for $22,801.
Bickers and Jameka Henley have been formally charged for their roles in this scheme but have not pleaded guilty.
Home Title Fraud:
Between December 2021 and May 2023, Henley stole five homes in Indianapolis by filing fraudulent deeds with the Marion County Recorder’s Office. Through the filings, Henley claimed that the homeowners had sold their homes to his fake businesses, but, in reality, he had never even spoken with the homeowners. Unbeknownst to the victims, Henley filed these fraudulent deeds and then sold the homes for significantly less than their market value, pocketing more than $260,000 in profits.
Henley also attempted to steal and sell an additional 14 homes in Indianapolis and Evansville. With one exception, the individuals who bought the homes from Henley took possession and ultimately kept the homes.
For one homeowner, the property Henley stole was her childhood home. She purchased the home while her mother was in the hospital with the hope that, when her mother’s condition improved, her mother would be able to live out her remaining years in the house.
Mortgage Fraud:
In November 2021, an associate of Henley’s purchased a home in Indianapolis, using a mortgage loan from a bank. In April 2022, Henley filed a fraudulent document with the Marion County Recorder’s Office to make it seem as if the mortgage loan had been paid off, when it had not been paid. Henley then filed a deed naming himself a joint owner of the home. Henley and his associate subsequently sold the property for $255,000, pocketing all the proceeds, even though the bank should have received the majority of the funds.
Auto Loan Fraud:
In March 2023, Henley purchased a Dodge Durango in Indianapolis for $71,479, using an auto loan from Everwise Credit Union. A few months later, in June 2023, Henley purchased a Chevrolet Silverado in Plainfield for $54,270, using a second loan from Everwise Credit Union.
In October 2023, Henley connected a JPMorgan Chase bank account to his auto loans, via Everwise’s online payment portal. Henley falsely represented that the Chase account belonged to Jimmie Bickers, and that he had authority to make payments on his loans using funds from the Chase account.
The Chase account was actually an Indiana attorney’s Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Account (IOLTA), which is a highly regulated bank account used by lawyers to hold client funds. The interest earned on IOLTA accounts is used to fund grants for nonprofit groups that promote pro bono and access to justice programs. Henley did not have the attorney’s permission to access or withdraw funds from the IOLTA account.
Between October and November 2023, Henley used the IOLTA account to make two payments, totaling $98,000, toward his auto loans.
Henley has prior felony convictions for financial crimes, including theft, forgery, and fraud.
“James Henley went to great lengths to coordinate exceptionally greedy, complex schemes that exploited hard-working families and state government programs,” said John E. Childress, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Undeterred by prior felony convictions for the same conduct, this defendant stole over a million dollars, wreaking financial and logistical havoc on hundreds of victims. The Department of Justice will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate allegations of fraud and seek prosecution as appropriate.”
“James Henley filed fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) claims in the names of identity theft victims in order to receive UI benefits to which he was not entitled. He enriched himself by defrauding a program that was intended to assist struggling American workers during an unprecedented global pandemic,” said Megan Howell, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, Great Lakes Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. “We and our law enforcement partners are committed to protecting the integrity of the UI system from those who seek to exploit this critical benefit program.”
“This lengthy prison sentence sends a clear message: individuals who attempt to exploit and commit financial crime and identity theft will be brought to justice,” said Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Chicago Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation and our fellow law enforcement partners are committed to protecting the integrity of our financial institutions and will continue to hold criminals like James Henley accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
“This case should serve as a powerful reminder that individuals with a history of financial crimes will face significant consequences when they demonstrate a blatant disregard for the law and continue to exploit and deceive others for personal gain,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton. “The FBI, working alongside our law enforcement partners, will continue to hold those who perpetuate such offenses accountable and protect the public from those who manipulate the system for their own benefit.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Department of Labor-Office of the Inspector General, and the Indiana Attorney General’s Office Homeowner Protection Unit investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Matthew B. Brookman.
Acting U.S. Attorney Childress thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Miller, who prosecuted this case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID‑19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID‑19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form
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WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs today announced its return to in-person work policy, which states eligible employees must work full-time at their respective duty stations (agency worksites) unless excused due to a disability, qualifying medical condition or other compelling reason.
The announcement follows President Trump’s Jan. 20, presidential memorandum on return to in-person work.
More than 20% of VA’s more than 479,000 employees currently have telework or remote work arrangements. As part of the new policy:
Political appointees, senior executive service members, SES equivalents, senior level and scientific and professional employees will no longer be eligible for remote work arrangements. By Feb. 24, 2025, their telework agreements will be terminated, except for ad hoc or situational telework.
Also, by Feb. 24, 2025, remote work and telework arrangements for supervisors with current official duty stations within 50 miles of an agency facility will be terminated, except for ad hoc or situational telework.
By April 28, 2025, remote work and telework arrangements for non-bargaining unit employees with current official duty stations within 50 miles of an agency facility will be terminated, except for ad hoc or situational telework.
Remote work and telework arrangements for supervisors and non-bargaining unit employees with current official duty stations outside 50 miles of an agency facility will not be terminated at this time. Further guidance will be forthcoming regarding these arrangements.
Return to in person work requirements for bargaining unit employees will be announced at a later date.
VA’s policy allows exceptions for arrangements approved for employees as a reasonable accommodation due to a disability or a qualifying medical condition. Exceptions may also be allowed for military spouses with permanent change of station orders.
“This is a commonsense step toward treating all VA employees equally,” said Acting VA Secretary Todd Hunter. “Most VA clinical staff don’t have the luxury of working remotely, and we believe the performance, collaboration and productivity of the department will improve if all VA employees are held to the same standard.”
Reporters and media outlets with questions or comments should contact the Office of Media Relations at vapublicaffairs@va.gov
Veterans with questions about their health care and benefits (including GI Bill). Questions, updates and documents can be submitted online.
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Flood-Risk Classifications Can Drive Risky Development
A new study by Southeast CASC researchers highlights the “safe development paradox,” where areas adjacent to regulatory “high risk” zones are less expensive to develop and viewed as safe for home buyers, driving up risky development in potentially vulnerable areas.
The “safe development paradox” highlights how classifying land areas as “high risk” for flooding can unintentionally encourage high levels of risky development just outside of these zones. Though the risk continues beyond the high-risk label, the implication is that if an area is not listed as “high risk,” then it must be “safe.” This misconception arises from how flood risk is communicated and used to guide regulations, such as mandatory flood insurance and structural requirements. Because developers are able to avoid these regulations, building just outside of these “high risk” zones is more affordable, leading to clustering of development in areas that are still vulnerable to flooding from rivers, lakes, and coastlines.
A new study, titled “The Safe Development Paradox of the United States Regulatory Floodplain,” analyzed national development trends and 100-year floodplain maps from more than 2,300 U.S. counties. Supported by the Southeast CASC, the researchers found that 24% of development occurs within 250 meters of high-risk flood zones. That distance is less than the length of three football fields, or, in a dense urban grid like Manhattan, about 1-3 city blocks. The researchers also looked at future projections, and assuming current policies remain the same, they predicted that 22% of new development by 2060 will also occur within the 250-meter zone next to the “high risk” area, likely increasing the number of people who live in risky areas just outside of the regulatory zone.
By linking historical and future development trends to 100-year floodplain (1% annual flood risk) classifications that guide safety regulations, this national assessment reveals some unintended consequences of these designations and emphasizes the need to align actual and perceived flood risks. This information can aid regulatory agencies making flood risk designations and communications to support effective planning.
This research was supported by the Southeast CASC Project:“Improving Scenarios of Future Patterns of Urbanization, Climate Adaptation, and Landscape Change in the Southeast.”
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Improving Scenarios of Future Patterns of Urbanization, Climate Adaptation, and Landscape Change in the Southeast
Arguably the most direct, intense, and long-lasting modification that humans can make to a landscape is converting rural lands to urbanized areas. As human populations grow, the demand for urbanized areas will increase, and scientists can help natural resource managers plan for these changes by creating models that predict potential patterns of future urbanization. The Southeast U.S. is experienci
NC CASC Tackles Climate Threats to Sagebrush Ecosystems
The North Central CASC leads initiative, holds workshop, to address threats to the “Sagebrush Sea,” one of the most expansive ecosystems in the United States.
The eastern sagebrush ecosystem, sometimes called the “Sagebrush Sea” for its vast expanse and rolling waves of silvery-green plants, is the largest continuous ecosystem in the continental United States. It provides essential habitat for wildlife like mule deer, pronghorn antelope, and greater sage-grouse, while also supporting livestock grazing, recreation, and cultural traditions. Despite its vast size, nearly half of this ecosystem has been lost under the pressures of land conversions and development, overgrazing, and invasive species – and now, these threats are compounded by changing climate conditions, like rising temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns, and more frequent extreme events.
To address these challenges, the North Central CASC (NC CASC) gathered 24 experts at a workshop at the University of Colorado Boulder. Their goal: to identify the most pressing research needs and practical solutions for adapting sagebrush ecosystems to a changing climate. Discussions focused on evaluating management practices, clarifying how ecosystems respond to environmental changes, strengthening connections with stakeholders and local communities, and understanding community values of sagebrush landscapes, as well as developing tools and datasets to support conservation efforts.
Building on the momentum of the workshop, the NC CASC is launching a two-year Science Synthesis Working Group. This collaborative effort will address the research gaps identified at the workshop and provide actionable climate-informed guidance to safeguard the Sagebrush Sea for future generations.
“Notes From the Field” news articles highlight the continued importance of bird banding. This article was contributed by Paul Link with Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries who began researching Black-bellied Whistling Ducks in 2011, and Pam Garrettson and Joshua Dooley with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who are assisting with the band-recovery data analyses.
Today, banding allows scientists to investigate bird behavior, migration, lifespans, populations, diseases and levels of environmental contaminants. Information gathered through the North American Bird Banding Program helps inform management and conservation decisions for game and non-game species, such as protecting or restoring habitat, setting hunting regulations and determining plans for human-led development.TheNorth American Bird Banding Programdepends on a network of over 10,000 permitted bird banders working in the United States, Canada and Trust Territories. Each year these banders help us add up to 1.2 million new banding records to our century-long dataset.
Holding banded Black-bellied Whistling Ducks are band resight extraordinaire Alvin Attenhofer on the left and on the right Paul Link, Research Program Manager of LA Department of Wildlife & Fisheries. Photo courtesy of Michael Slazer.
How do you use bird banding in your research?
We initiated our research in 2011 to answer questions related to the movement ecology and survival of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks in south Louisiana. We started out opportunistically banding this species with standard aluminum butt-end bands for a couple years, but upon realizing encounter rates were much lower than expected, we greatly increased our banding effort. We plan to utilize both live recaptures and dead recoveries to estimate annual survival. Our banding season is February through May, which is an ideal period for captures as the ducks are still gregarious prior to dispersing for nesting. At the onset of our research, we hypothesized that they migrated south to Texas or Mexico during winter, but we hope to use recovery data to better describe movements and habitat use throughout the annual cycle.
Why is your study species so interesting?
Black-bellied Whistling Ducks are found only in the Western Hemisphere. They are more arboreal than other whistling-ducks; they nest primarily in natural tree cavities and readily utilize artificial nest boxes, but also commonly nest on the ground. Unlike most ducks, both the male and female take part in incubation and brood rearing. In North America, this species historically nested mainly along Mexico and south Texas coasts. However, their range began expanding northward mid-20th century, with sightings in Arizona, Louisiana, and Florida by the 1960s. They are a game species with liberal regulations; however, they are only lightly harvested because of their nocturnal nature. Furthermore, traditional waterfowl surveys are inadequate for this species due to low detection probabilities. Many Black-bellied Whistling Ducks congregate in or under trees in urban, suburban, or industrial areas during fall and winter where they are difficult to harvest and/or survey, which makes estimating vital rates such as survival and harvest probabilities more challenging than for most other waterfowl species.
What have you found so far?
Since 2011, we have banded over 40,000 Black-bellied Whistling Ducks and have recaptured >4,200. Interestingly, we have similar numbers of resights versus shot or found dead. The vast majority of those resights are by a single citizen scientist that devotes most evenings for several months each year observing and documenting the ducks’ movements, pair associations, and family status. Roughly 80% of the banded Black-bellied Whistling Ducks are subsequently encountered in Louisiana, with 10% encountered in Mississippi (where we band ~150/year and the previously mentioned citizen scientist resights and reports individuals once per calendar year), 8% in Texas, and 1% or less in Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, and North Carolina. We’ve had just one report of a band recovered in Mexico, from a duck found dead in a grain cargo ship that set sail from the Port of New Orleans days earlier. Thus, most Black-bellied Whistling Ducks appear to be transient residents that concentrate in safe places during the fall and winter and disperse throughout Louisiana during spring and summer to breed. Their apparent survival rates (calculated using only live recapture data) were lower than expected; we are currently incorporating both live and dead recoveries to calculate actual annual survival. We’ve documented multiple large die-offs of up to 3,000 Black-bellied Whistling Ducks due to unintentional poisoning at water treatment and grain handling facilities. Avian cholera outbreaks are also common among this species. An unknown number are also killed via shooting or avicide under agricultural depredation and aircraft bird strike prevention orders. Due to their highly gregarious behavior, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks are particularly susceptible to communicable diseases. Thus, their population seems to self-regulate under conditions of minimal recreational harvest.
Why do you think projects like yours are so important?
This banding project will help us understand the movements and vital rates for a poorly understood, yet very common, waterfowl species along the Gulf Coast, improving population management options. Black-bellied Whistling Ducks are considered a nuisance by many (such as agriculture producers, golf course managers, and aircraft strike prevention personnel); however, amidst long-term declining trends in most resident and migratory waterfowl in Louisiana, waterfowl hunters welcome the sight of this relative newcomer on the landscape.
What are the next steps for your project?
We’ll continue to band a maintenance number of approximately 3,000 individuals per year to explore changes in vital rates amidst a rapidly changing landscape. We are also currently analyzing results from a pilot study utilizing satellite transmitters, as well as working with a transmitter manufacturer to design a miniaturized GPS/GSM device to collect higher quality and greater quantity movement data to better understand their local and long-range movements, use of habitats, nesting and non-breeding ecology, and seasonal survival rates.
Adult and juvenile Black-bellied Whistling Ducks in flight. Photo courtesy of John K. Flores.
The “Notes From the Field” series highlights current banding projects and the continued importance of bird banding and the Bird Banding Lab. Want to see your project featured in a future “Notes From the Field” article? Email Kyra Harveykharvey@usgs.govfor submission details.
February 3, 2025Tampa, FL, United StatesEnforcement and Removal
ICE Miami, Stuart Sub-office @HSI_Miami @CBPHQ & the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission conducted a multi-agency immigration enforcement operation spanning several counties in Southern Florida, netting 32 arrests of criminal illegal aliens. The illegal aliens were from Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Cuba, Nicaragua with criminal convictions including prostitution, robbery, fraud, larceny, DUI, & narcotics possession.
STUART, Fla. – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities in Palm Beach County, Fla., recently netted 32 illegal aliens from various counties with criminal convictions which included drug possession, prostitution, illegal re-entry, resisting an officer, robbery, probation violation, fraud (illegal use of a credit card), larceny, cocaine possession, driving under the influence and possession of stolen property.
ICE officers and agents in Miami, in coordination with the U. S. Border Patrol, conducted targeted immigration enforcement operations in Palm Beach County from January 27 to 28. The operation netted 32 illegal aliens from Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Cuba, and Nicaragua.
All illegal aliens arrested during this operation will be detained pending their removal from the United States or a hearing before an immigration judge.
Some highlights from the arrests include:
A 30-year-old Venezuelan male with criminal convictions for resisting officer, drug possession, and robbery who is being detained pending his removal from the United States.
A 44-year-old Haitian female with criminal convictions for battery, drug possession, prostitution, and narcotic equipment possession who is awaiting a removal hearing by an immigration judge.
A 24-year-old Cuban male with criminal convictions for fraud, failure to appear, larceny, and probation violation who is in custody pending removal from the U.S.
A 25-year-old Guatemalan male with criminal convictions for illegal re-entry, cocaine possession, and driving under the influence who is being detained pending removal from the U.S.
Jefferson City — Today, Governor Mike Kehoe ordered U.S. and Missouri flags be flown at half-staff at government buildings in Pettis and Saline counties, the Fire Fighters Memorial of Missouri in Kingdom City, and firehouses statewide on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, from sunrise to sunset in honor of West Central Missouri Fire Protection District of Saline and Pettis Counties Captain Christopher Mykel Clevenger.
“Christopher Clevenger felt a calling to public service early in life, joining the West Central Missouri Fire Protection District of Saline and Pettis Counties as a volunteer firefighter when he was just 18 years old,” Governor Mike Kehoe said. “As he established a career, raised a family, and coached youth sports, volunteering in the fire service and protecting the public remained an essential part of his life. Claudia and I are deeply saddened by his passing at just 33 years of age. Captain Clevenger’s commitment to serving others will be a lasting part of his legacy.”
Captain Clevenger died of a medical emergency on January 26, 2025, after responding to an emergency call as a member of the West Central Missouri Fire Protection District of Saline and Pettis Counties the previous afternoon.
The flags will be held at half-staff on the day of Clevenger’s interment. To view the Governor’s proclamation, click here.
Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Jared Menendez (25, Fruitland Park) with attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor. If convicted of the attempted enticement offense, Menendez faces a minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. The attempted transfer of obscene material offense carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment. Menendez is currently detained pending the resolution of the case.
According to the indictment, between November 14 and December 20, 2024, Menendez attempted to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce an individual whom he believed had not yet attained 18 years of age to engage in sexual activity.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Home » Latest News » New campaign puts the focus on food waste
A campaign gets underway today (Monday 3 February) to try and boost the uptake of food waste collections across the district.
Our officers have been working with counterparts at Kent County Council on the project.
Over the next few weeks, ‘no food waste stickers’ will be placed on the black bins of properties that are suitable for food waste collections, encouraging residents to use their food caddies instead.
This project does not mean that people who continue to use their black bin for food waste will not get it emptied. Black bin collections will continue unchanged.
But we are hoping it will result in residents thinking about how they dispose of their food waste and changing their behaviour to improve recycling rates.
Food caddies are emptied weekly using a separate vehicle and are easy to rinse out and keep clean.
Residents can place any raw or cooked food in their caddy to be recycled, but not anything that is not solid food, such as oils, liquids or packaging of any sort.
The project has been funded jointly by us and KCC, and because recycling food uses less energy and is less costly than burning food waste mixed with general rubbish, the money spent on it should be recovered by lower disposal costs in the future.
Headline: NCDHHS Program Celebrates 25 Years of Promoting Healthy Smiles for Young Children
NCDHHS Program Celebrates 25 Years of Promoting Healthy Smiles for Young Children hejones1
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Into the Mouths of Babes program, a partnership that delivers preventive oral health services to young children insured by NC Medicaid. Since 2000, this program has helped medical providers across the state give infants and toddlers early dental evaluations, preventive oral health care and other dental services that lay the foundation for good health.
“Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease in children,” said Dr. Patrick Roberson, DDS, North Carolina State Dental Director. “This program provides vital oral health services for children who need it most and connects medical and dental care to improve outcomes.”
Into the Mouths of Babes was originally piloted in nine western North Carolina counties as the “Smart Smiles” program in the mid-1990’s. In 2001, the program expanded statewide and established a reimbursement package through NC Medicaid.
“Since Into the Mouths of Babes began, more than 2.8 million claims have been submitted for preventive oral health services,” said Dr. Mark Casey, DDS, MPH, Dental Officer for NC Medicaid. “This is the finest example of a cost-effective preventive oral health care program at work.”
Early oral health evaluations provided through Into the Mouths of Babes allow medical providers to identify issues before they become serious, ensuring families can get help early. Additionally, caregiver education provided by the program gives families the tools they need to support healthy habits for life.
“Our rural pediatric practice has provided fluoride treatments to infants and toddlers for over 15 years,” said Dr. Marston Crawford, MD, FAAP, pediatrician for Coastal Children’s Clinic. “These treatments, combined with caregiver discussion about early oral health, have sharply reduced cavities and preventable dental surgery. The majority of our children enter kindergarten cavity-free.”
Training and community outreach are key to the program’s long-term success. NCDHHS employs 20 public health dental hygienists in 10 regions across the state who provide training for Into the Mouths of Babes. The American Academy of Family Physicians also provides continuing medical education hours to physicians who attend an NCDHHS training session.
Key program partners include NC Medicaid, the NCDHHS Division of Public Health’s Oral Health Section, UNC Adams School of Dentistry, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, the North Carolina Pediatric Society and the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians among others.
“The NC Academy of Family Physicians is proud to support this program,” said Gregory Griggs, Executive Vice President of the Academy. “It has made a huge difference in reducing tooth decay for children across North Carolina.”
For more information on the program, including partnerships and the online toolkit, visit the Into the Mouths of Babes webpage.
El Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte celebra el 25 aniversario del programaInto the Mouth of Babes, una colaboración que brinda servicios preventivos de salud oral a niños pequeños asegurados por NC Medicaid. Desde el año 2000, este programa ha ayudado a los proveedores médicos de todo el estado a brindar evaluaciones dentales tempranas a bebés y niños pequeños, atención preventiva de la salud oral y otros servicios dentales que sientan las bases para una buena salud.
“La caries dental es la enfermedad crónica más común en los niños”, dijo Dr. Patrick Roberson, DDS, Director Dental del Estado de Carolina del Norte. “Este programa proporciona servicios vitales de salud oral para los niños que más lo necesitan y conecta la atención médica y dental para mejorar los objetivos”.
Into the Mouths of Babes se había iniciado originalmente en nueve condados del oeste de Carolina del Norte como el programa “Smart Smiles” a mediados de la década de 1990. En 2001, el programa se expandió por todo el estado y estableció un paquete de reembolso a través de NC Medicaid.
“Desde que comenzó Into the Mouth of Babes, se han presentado más de 2,8 millones de solicitudes de servicios preventivos de salud oral”, dijo la Dra. Mark Casey, DDS, MPH, Oficial Dental de NC Medicaid. “Este es el mejor ejemplo de un programa de costo económico de atención preventiva de la salud oral que funciona”.
Las evaluaciones tempranas de salud oral proporcionadas a través de Into the Mouth of Babes permiten a los proveedores médicos identificar los problemas antes de que se agraven, asegurando que las familias puedan obtener ayuda temprano. Además, la educación para los cuidadores proporcionada por el programa brinda a las familias las herramientas que necesitan para mantener hábitos saludables de por vida.
“Nuestra práctica pediátrica rural ha proporcionado tratamientos con flúor a bebés y niños pequeños durante más de 15 años”, dijo el Dr. Marston Crawford, MD, FAAP, pediatra de Coastal Children’s Clinic. “Estos tratamientos, combinados con la charla con los cuidadores sobre la salud oral en los primeros años de edad, han reducido drásticamente las caries e intervenciones quirúrgicas dentales menores. La mayoría de nuestros niños entran al jardín de infantes sin caries”.
La capacitación y el alcance comunitario son clave para el éxito a largo plazo del programa. El Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte, (NCDHHS, por sus siglas en inglés), emplea a 20 higienistas dentales de salud pública en diez regiones de todo el estado quienes proporcionan formación para Into the Mouth of Babes. La Academia Estadounidense de Médicos de Familia también ofrece horas de educación médica continua a los médicos que asisten a una sesión de capacitación del NCDHHS.
Los socios clave del programa incluyen NC Medicaid, la Sección de Salud Oral de la División de Salud Pública de NCDHHS, la Escuela de Odontología UNC Adams, la Escuela de Salud Pública Global UNC Gillings, la Sociedad Pediátrica de Carolina del Norte y la Academia de Médicos de Familia de Carolina del Norte, entre otros.
“La Academia de Médicos de Familia de Carolina del Norte se enorgullece de apoyar este programa”, dijo Gregory Griggs, Vicepresidente Ejecutivo de la Academia. “Ha marcado una gran diferencia en la reducción de la caries dental en los niños de Carolina del Norte”.
Para obtener más información sobre el programa, incluidas las colaboraciones y el kit de herramientas en línea, visite la página web deInto the Mouths of Babes.
The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) is advising consumers that Blue Ridge Beef is recalling 5,700 pounds of their two-pound log Natural Mix dog food due to a contamination of Salmonella.
The recalled products have the Lot number N25/12/31. (Lot numbers are stamped in the clips on the end of the chubs/bags.) The products have UPC# 854298001054.
Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.
Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.
Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever, and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.
Samples of the product were collected on 01/08/25 by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and tested by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture Food and Drug Protection Laboratory. The product tested positive for Salmonella.
On 01/27/2025 the firm was notified by the FDA that the product tested positive for Salmonella.
These products were distributed between January 3, 2025 and January 24, 2025. The product is packaged in clear plastic and was sold primarily in retail stores located in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York State, Tennessee, and Rhode Island.
Consumers who have purchased this product are urged to return to place of purchase or destroy the food in a way that children, pets, and wildlife cannot access it.
For more information contact blueridgebeefnc@yahoo.com or 704-873-2072.
MINNEAPOLIS – A Shakopee woman pleaded guilty for her role in the $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
According to court documents, at times between October 2020 and January 2022, Mekfira Hussein knowingly and willfully conspired with others to participate in a fraudulent scheme to obtain and misappropriate millions in federal child nutrition funds. Specifically, Hussein and her husband, Abduljabar Hussein, fraudulently obtained millions of dollars in federal child nutrition program funds by falsely claiming to have served meals to thousands of children per day.
According to court documents, in October 2020, the defendant enrolled her non-profit, Shamsia Hopes, in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future, at the direction of one of its employees, Abdikerm Eidleh. The defendant submitted her application to Aimee Bock, Feeding Our Future’s executive director. In December 2020, and also at the direction of Abdikerm Eidleh, the defendant’s husband registered his company, Oromia Feeds LLC, with the State of Minnesota as a food vendor. Abduljabar Hussein’s company, Oromia Feeds, had a contract to prepare meals to be served by Shamsia Hopes sites run by Mekfira Hussein.
According to the plea agreement entered today, Hussein submitted fraudulently inflated invoices for reimbursement—including inflated meal counts and false attendance rosters. As part of their scheme, the defendant and her husband paid at least $140,000 in kickbacks to Eidleh and least $12,000 in kickbacks to Aimee Bock. In some instances, these kickback payments were disguised as “consulting fees,” when, in fact, neither Eidleh nor Aimee Bock provided any service to justify these payments. In other instances, Feeding Our Future billed hundreds of thousands of dollars in Federal Child Nutrition Program claims under the name of the defendant’s organization, Shamsia Hopes, without the defendant’s knowledge or authorization, and Feeding Our Future siphoned those funds to others involved in the conspiracy.
Throughout the fraudulent conspiracy, the Husseins obtained up to $8.8 million in federal child nutrition program funds some of which they used to pay for personal expenditures unrelated to feeing children. For instance, the defendant and her husband used $173,438 of their proceeds to pay off the mortgage on their home in Shakopee, Minnesota, and also purchased a 2021 Porsche for $93,250, a 2022 GMC truck for $61,722.
Hussein pleaded guilty last Friday in U.S. District Court before Judge Nancy E. Brasel to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Her sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
The case is the result of an investigation by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert, Joseph H. Thompson, and Harry M. Jacobs are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.
MIAMI – On Jan. 30, a federal district judge in West Palm Beach, Florida sentenced Anthony Raul Del Valle, 29, of Lake Worth Beach, Florida, to 120 months in federal prison. The sentence comes after a federal jury found Del Valle guilty of distributing acetyl fentanyl and fentanyl and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in November 2024.
On April 8, 2024, Del Valle distributed pills that appeared to be oxycodone, but in fact were fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl, to three family members in Lantana, Florida. All three family members immediately ingested the pills after the distribution. Two of the family members died less than two hours after the distribution.
On April 10, 2024, law enforcement agents identified and arrested Del Valle as the source of the pills after conducting a controlled purchase from Del Valle. Law enforcement agents recovered a loaded firearm from Del Valle during the arrest.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division, announced the sentence.
The DEA, Miami Field Division investigated the case with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Office, Lantana Police Department, Boynton Beach Police Department and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Shannon O’Shea Darsch and Alexandra Chase prosecuted it.
According to the DEA’s National Drug Threat Assessment, synthetic drugs, such as fentanyl, are poisoning our nation. Fentanyl has proven to be a deadly poison that does not discriminate. Its victims include every gender, race, age, and economic background, and its debilitating effects are the same across all demographics. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Even in small doses, fentanyl can be deadly. Just one fentanyl pill can kill, as noted in DEA’s One Pill Can Kill campaign. As little as two milligrams, about the size of 5 grains of salt, can be fatal. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are the most common drugs involved in overdose deaths. Over 150 people die every day from overdoses related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl. The State of Florida has also seen an exponential increase in overdoses associated with fentanyl. In 2022, more than 5,622 people died from overdoses involving fentanyl and fentanyl analogs in Florida.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-80062.
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Sherron Gary (41, Tampa) to seven years in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Gary pleaded guilty in October 2024.
According to court documents, on April 9, 2023, officers with the Tampa Police Department (TPD) attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Gary after observing the vehicle had a broken taillight. Gary failed to pull over and instead fled from the officers at a high rate of speed. A police helicopter followed Gary. After Gary’s vehicle was boxed in by law enforcement, Gary fled from the officers on foot, which the helicopter was also able to capture.
As Gary fled, the helicopter crew observed Gary discard an item as he was running that resembled a firearm. TPD officers apprehended Gary. After the arrest, the helicopter crew directed officers back to the location where they had observed Gary discard the firearm. Officers located a 9mm Walther Creed semiautomatic pistol at the location.
At the time, Gary had four prior felony convictions, including aggravated battery and armed burglary of a dwelling, trafficking of cocaine, delivery of cocaine, and delivery of cocaine within 1,000 feet of church. As a convicted felon, Gary is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Tampa Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Newman. The forfeiture was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Nebesky.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
GAITHERSBURG, Md., Feb. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — GL Communications Inc., a global leader in telecom testing solutions, addressed the press regarding their latest release of the PacketExpert™ 10GX, used for testing Ethernet and IP networks and individual network infrastructure.
A single PacketExpert™ 10GX device features two 10/2.5/1 Gbps ports and two 10/100/1000 Mbps ports, all of which support both electrical and optical connections. The device is fully compatible with all SFP and SFP+ modules available on the market.
Controlled via a Windows® PC through a USB connection, the PacketExpert™ offers an intuitive Graphical User Interface (GUI) for configuring test parameters, starting and stopping tests, viewing real-time graphs and statistics, and exporting results.
For larger testing environments, rack-mount variants of the PacketExpert™ 10GX are available. These enclosures can house up to six devices, delivering a total of 24 GigE ports. Additionally, the solution includes optional licensing for Python and C# Scripting, enabling automation and repetitive testing workflows.
Smart loopback (auto layer detection) and layer-wise loopback testing
TCP Throughput Testing – according to the RFC 6349 standard
Multi stream traffic generation and analysis – send and receive multiple UDP streams and measure throughput, packet loss, delay, jitter, and packet reordering at full wirespeed
Generate frame sizes from 64 bytes to 16000 bytes
Emulate impairments such as congestion, latency, loss, jitter, and packet reordering
Playback previously recorded traffic with precise time stamping to emulate real world traffic
About GL Communications Inc.,
GL Communications is a global provider of telecom test and measurement solutions. GL’s solutions are used to verify the quality and reliability of Wireless, Fiber Optic, TDM and Analog networks.
Issuer Name: Rubis (LEI: 969500MGFIKUGLTC9742) Category of securities: Ordinary shares (ISIN: FR0013269123) Period: From 27 to 31 January 2025
Upon the authorisation granted by the Ordinary Shareholders’ Meeting held on 11 June 2024 to implement a share buyback program, the Company carried out, between 27 to 31 January 2025, the repurchases of its own shares in order to transfer them to employees and/or corporate officers of the Company and/or companies related to it in the context of a shareholding plan.
Aggregate presentation per day and per market:
Name of issuer
Identification code of issuer (Legal Entity Identifier)
Day of transaction
Identification code of financial instrument
Aggregated daily volume (in number of shares)
Daily weighted average price of the purchased shares *
Market (MIC Code)
RUBIS
969500MGFIKUGLTC9742
27/01/2025
FR0013269123
2,668
24.7824
AQEU
RUBIS
969500MGFIKUGLTC9742
27/01/2025
FR0013269123
12,385
24.7926
CEUX
RUBIS
969500MGFIKUGLTC9742
27/01/2025
FR0013269123
3,311
24.7927
TQEX
RUBIS
969500MGFIKUGLTC9742
27/01/2025
FR0013269123
24,115
24.7972
XPAR
RUBIS
969500MGFIKUGLTC9742
28/01/2025
FR0013269123
2,533
24.9753
AQEU
RUBIS
969500MGFIKUGLTC9742
28/01/2025
FR0013269123
12,207
24.9777
CEUX
RUBIS
969500MGFIKUGLTC9742
28/01/2025
FR0013269123
3,402
24.9745
TQEX
RUBIS
969500MGFIKUGLTC9742
28/01/2025
FR0013269123
24,017
24.9735
XPAR
RUBIS
969500MGFIKUGLTC9742
29/01/2025
FR0013269123
2,516
24.8467
AQEU
RUBIS
969500MGFIKUGLTC9742
29/01/2025
FR0013269123
11,979
24.8569
CEUX
RUBIS
969500MGFIKUGLTC9742
29/01/2025
FR0013269123
3,440
24.8613
TQEX
RUBIS
969500MGFIKUGLTC9742
29/01/2025
FR0013269123
23,712
24.8586
XPAR
RUBIS
969500MGFIKUGLTC9742
30/01/2025
FR0013269123
2,691
25.1200
AQEU
RUBIS
969500MGFIKUGLTC9742
30/01/2025
FR0013269123
12,580
25.1201
CEUX
RUBIS
969500MGFIKUGLTC9742
30/01/2025
FR0013269123
3,629
25.1160
TQEX
RUBIS
969500MGFIKUGLTC9742
30/01/2025
FR0013269123
24,419
25.1217
XPAR
RUBIS
969500MGFIKUGLTC9742
31/01/2025
FR0013269123
2,000
25.2381
AQEU
RUBIS
969500MGFIKUGLTC9742
31/01/2025
FR0013269123
10,000
25.2418
CEUX
RUBIS
969500MGFIKUGLTC9742
31/01/2025
FR0013269123
3,000
25.2404
TQEX
RUBIS
969500MGFIKUGLTC9742
31/01/2025
FR0013269123
20,800
25.2464
XPAR
* Four-digit rounding after the decimal
TOTAL
205,404
24.9915
Detailed presentation per transaction:
Detailed information on the transactions carried out from 27 to 31 January 2025 is available on the Company’s website (www.rubis.fr) in the section “Investors – Regulated information – Share buyback programme”.
Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3
Thisrecallinvolves correcting certain devices, and does not involve removing them from where they are used or sold. The FDA has identified this recall as the most serious type. This device may cause serious injury or death if you continue to use it without correction.
Affected Product
Product Names: Becker External Drainage and Monitoring System, Exacta External Drainage and Monitoring System (EDMS)
Unique Device Identifier (UDI)/Model: See full list of affected products.
What to Do
Inspect all Becker and Exacta EDMS devices for cracks or leaks.
If there are cracks and/or leaks, do not use the these devices.
Monitor all patients with EDMS for evidence of infection.
In November 2024, Medtronic Neurosurgery sent all affected customers an Urgent Medical Device Correction recommending the following actions:
For providers
Inspect all stopcocks and connections before use to make sure connections are secure and there are no visible cracks.
Do not use the device if cracks or leaks are identified. Return it to Medtronic.
Pre-fill the system with sterile isotonic saline solution before connecting to the patient.
Check all connections to make sure fittings (connections) are finger-tight and leak-free.
Finger tighten all connections. Over tightening can cause cracks and leaks.
Allow device to air dry completely after cleaning with alcohol or a disinfectant containing alcohol.
Replace any system that develops cracks or leaks during use using sterile technique. Return the damaged system to Medtronic.
Consider application of hemostat or other clamp to the proximal patient line during replacement if blocking the patient line will not create patient risk.
Monitor all patients with EDMS for evidence of infection.
Replace any system with cracks or leaks and continue monitoring the patient for evidence of infection.
For customers
Complete and return the enclosed customer confirmation form to acknowledge the letter.
Post a copy of the notification near impacted product as a reminder of the issue and recommended actions.
Keep a copy of the letter and completed response form for institutional records.
Contact Medtronic Customer Service via email: rs.jaxcustomerservice@medtronic.com, or phone: 1-800-874-5797 Option 1, and mention FA1452, to initiate the returns process.
Medtronic will honor return of unused product for a full credit.
Reason for Recall
Medtronic Neurosurgery is recalling certain Becker and Exacta EDMS due to a risk for cracks and or leaks in device stopcocks.
The use of affected product may cause serious adverse health consequences, including leaks of cerebrospinal fluid, infections, and death.
There have been 15 reported injuries. There have been no reports of death.
Device Use
Becker and Exacta External Drainage and Monitoring Systems (EDMS) provide a complete closed system to drain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from specific parts of the brain and to monitor CSF pressure and flow rate from these areas.
Contact Information
Customers in the U.S. with questions about this recall should contact their Medtronic representative or Medtronic Technical Support at 1-888-826-5603 (reference FA1452).
Full List of Affected Devices (if applicable)
Product Names
Medtronic Product Number (REF)
GTIN
EDMS 24146 BECKER NO Y-SITEEDMS 24146 BECKER NO Y-SITE
24146
00763000333423
EDMS 24146 BECKER NO Y-SITE
24146
00763000572839
EDMS II 25120 BECKER W/1-WAY VALVE
25120
00763000333430
EDMS II 25120 BECKER W/1-WAY VALVE
25120
00763000431297
KIT 26040 BECKER EDMS II
26040
00763000333447
KIT 26040 BECKER EDMS II
26040
00763000406066
KIT 27581 EXACTA W/EDM VCATH 35CM
27581
00763000333478
BECKER 27609 W/NEEDLESLESS INJ. SITE
27609
00763000333485
BECKER 27609 W/NEEDLESLESS INJ. SITE
27609
00763000529307
EDM 27636 EXACTA W/BRAIDED CORD LOCK
27636
00763000333492
EDM 27666 EXCTA W GLUE STPCK GR PT LN
27666
00763000333515
BECKER 27670 STOP BELOW DC NDL-LS IN
27670
00763000333522
BECKER 27670 STOP BELOW DC NDL-LS IN
27670
00763000529314
BECKER 27672 ONEWAY VLV Y-SITE PT LN
27672
00763000333539
EDMS 27702 EURO BECKER II GR PT LN
27702
00763000333553
EDMS 27702 EURO BECKER II GR PT LN
27702
00763000467326
EDM 27732 EXACTA W/NDL-LS INJ. ST W/CAP
27732
00763000333560
BECKER 27761 STOP BCNDLESS PATLN 24
27761
00763000333577
BECKER 27761 STOP BCNDLESS PATLN 24
27761
00763000529338
BECKER 27767 NO STPCOCK ON PTLN 63
27767
00763000333584
EDMS 27779 BECKER BC NDLESS BOND CONN
27779
00763000333591
EDMS 27779 BECKER BC NDLESS BOND CONN
27779
00763000529345
EDMS 27785 EXACTA 50ML BC NDLESS INJ
27785
00763000333607
EDMS 27795 EXACTA 100ML CATH
27795
00763000333614
EDMS 27811 BECKER GRN PL VCATH
27811
00763000333638
EDMS 27861 EXACTA 50ML ANTIRFLUX GRNPL
27861
00763000333645
EDMS 27873 BECKR W/SC BLW DC W/NLESS INJ
27873
00763000333652
EDMS 27931 BECKER GS TUBING SMARTSITES
27931
00763000333669
EDMS 27931 BECKER GS TUBING SMARTSITES
27931
00763000467364
EDMS 46128 BECKER II BLUE PT LN
46128
00763000333676
EDMS 46128 BECKER II BLUE PT LN
46128
00763000406073
EDMS 46129 EURO BECKER II BLUE PT LN
46129
00763000333683
EDMS 46129 EURO BECKER II BLUE PT LN
46129
00763000431259
SYSTEM 46700 EXACTA DISP. DRAINAGE
46700
00763000333690
SYSTEM 46705 EXACTA DRAINAGE 100ML
46705
00763000333706
Additional FDA Resources (listed in order of most to least recent):
FDA’s Enforcement Report
Medical Device Recall Database
Unique Device Identifier (UDI)
The unique device identifier (UDI) helps identify individual medical devices sold in the United States from manufacturing through distribution to patient use. The UDI allows for more accurate reporting, reviewing, and analyzing of adverse event reports so that devices can be identified, and problems potentially corrected more quickly.
How do I report a problem?
Health care professionals and consumers may report adverse reactions or quality problems they experienced using these devices to MedWatch: The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program.
