Drug Cases Span US, India, Australia

Authorities in San Diego say they intercepted 458 mail packages containing an estimated $1.14 million in drugs, including methamphetamine, counterfeit Adderall, MDMA, ketamine, cocaine and Xanax, and arrested four people. In Australia, a 21-year-old who admitted selling cocaine to pay debts avoided prison after a judge cited his youth, addiction, rehabilitation efforts and autism and ADHD. In India’s Punjab border region, police say handlers are exploiting young men’s drug addiction and financial hardship to recruit them into alleged drug and weapons smuggling and violent operations. Separately, a Filipino Catholic leader said poverty, addiction and the consequences of the country’s anti-drug campaign have deeply affected families, and urged church leaders to accompany people facing those circumstances rather than judge them by rigid categories.