GUADALAJARA, Mexico – The historic seizure of 15 tons of pure methamphetamine in western Mexico, equal to half of all meth seizures worldwide in 2009, feeds growing speculation that the country could become a world platform for meth production, not just a supplier to the United States.
The sheer size of the bust announced late Wednesday in Jalisco state suggests involvement of the powerful Sinaloa cartel, a major international trafficker of cocaine and marijuana that has moved into meth production and manufacturing on an industrial scale.
The haul could have supplied 13 million doses worth more than $4 billion on U.S. streets.
Nation
Marines: Nazi flag a matter of ignorance
The Marine Corps on Thursday once again did damage control after a photograph surfaced of a sniper team in Afghanistan posing in front of a flag with a logo resembling that of the notorious Nazi SS – a special unit that murdered millions of Jews, gypsies and others.
The Corps said in a statement that the Marines in the photograph taken in September 2010 will not be disciplined because it was a naïve mistake.
The Marines believed the SS symbol was meant to represent sniper scouts, said Maj. Gabrielle Chapin, a spokeswoman at Camp Pendleton in San Diego.
Giffords aide, also wounded, seeks seat
A top aide to former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords who was shot in the leg and face in the Tucson rampage that also left the congresswoman severely wounded announced Thursday that he will seek to replace her in a special election.
Democrat Ron Barber declared he would run to serve the last six months of Giffords’ term, and his announcement comes after she stepped down last month to focus on her recovery. He told The Associated Press that Giffords and her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, asked him to run.
House OKs ban on insider trading
The House passed a bill banning Congress and executive branch officials from insider trading but brushed aside a provision aimed at reining in those who pry financial information from Congress and sell it to investment firms.
Thursday’s 417-2 vote likely sends the legislation to a House-Senate conference, where supporters of the tougher regulation will try to restore the proposal that was included in the version passed by the Senate.
The language in dispute would require political intelligence firms to register the same as lobbyists, and they would have to file public reports on their spending and contacts with federal officials.
Levels of trans fat in blood plummet
The amount of trans fat in the American bloodstream fell by more than half after the Food and Drug Administration required food manufacturers to label how much of the unhealthful ingredient is in their products, according to a new study.
Blood levels of trans fat declined 58 percent from 2000 to 2008. FDA began requiring trans-fat labeling in 2003. During the same period, several parts of the country passed regulations limiting trans fats in restaurant food and cooking. The makers of processed food also voluntarily replaced trans fats with less-harmful oils.
Flushed necklace returned to owner
A California woman has her gold necklace back months after she accidentally flushed it down her toilet.
San Rafael sanitation district employees were performing routine cleaning work on a pipeline last month when they came across Ann Aulakh’s necklace.
Aulakh’s friend had left a message with the district after the chain was lost. Sewer Maintenance Supervisor Kris Ozaki said workers remembered the message and used it to trace the necklace back to Aulakh. A worker dropped it off at her home.
