In his autobiography, published in 2007, Blur bassist Alex James admitted to blowing a million pounds on champagne and cocaine. This confession led to an invitation from Colombia's President Uribe to visit the country and see the damage being caused by the drug trade. He went, and the BBC filmed it (one, two, three).
posted by jontyjago on Jun 14, 2009 - 64 comments

Burundanga (NSFW, video). Arguably the worlds most sinister drug. Under its influence you remain lucid and articulate yet absolutely compliant to any suggestion. When your 'trip' is over, you have no recollection of what has transpired. The "Devil's Breath" is an admixture of Scopolamine, a chemical that was experimented with, for its interrogative properties, by both the C.I.A. and Josef Mengele. For at least the past two decades, Burundanga has been a major component of Colombia's criminal element.
posted by thanatogenous on Aug 27, 2007 - 46 comments

Drug policy reform in Colombia [via]
posted by daksya on Jan 3, 2006 - 13 comments

New super strain of coca plant stuns anti-drug officials DRUG traffickers have created a new strain of coca plant that yields up to four times more cocaine than existing plants and promises to revolutionise Colombia’s drugs industry.
posted by Postroad on Aug 29, 2004 - 22 comments

The City of God (#29 IMDB top 250) is a film about life in Brazilian "favelas" (shantytowns) where poverty, drugs, violence and crime rule the streets. At murder rates of more than 40 per 100,000, one person shot every 30 minutes in the city, Rio ranks as the world's most dangerous places along with Cali, Colombia and Johannesburg, South Africa. Rio has over 600 favelas and the crime and violence is becoming so bad corporations are fleeing the city while the military is under direct assault and the prison system is breaking down. Favela guided tours available or see the movie available now on DVD.
posted by stbalbach on Jun 16, 2004 - 28 comments

Tech secrets of Cocaine, Inc. - a look at the IT infrastructures of Colombian drug cartels. "I spent this morning working on the budget," the head of DEA intelligence, Steve Casteel, said recently. "Do you think they have to worry about that? If they want it, they buy it."
posted by edlundart on Jul 17, 2002 - 24 comments

We are the world. No matter what you think of this expansion into Ecuador to stamp out the drug trade in Columbia, you have to love the great economic ramifications for locals as they open facilities and raise prices for their wealthy neighbors from the north. No mention, alas, of the prostitutes who usually move close to military facilities.
posted by Postroad on Jan 25, 2001 - 5 comments

"If US drugs policy were a company, it would have gone bankrupt years ago." This, see, is why Bush needs to increase military spending. long before the dot-com era, the same mentality fuelled the War on Drugs: spend now, and hope for profits... well, some time in the future.
posted by holgate on Jan 6, 2001 - 2 comments

Suck got old for me after a while. As a staggering genius put it, it's "like having someone shout in your ear." Today, though, they're carrying a great, great article about the situtation in Colombia. Drugs! Guns! Money! Reprehensible US involvement!
posted by lbergstr on May 9, 2000 - 0 comments