Philip A. Berry
@drphilipaberry.bsky.social
Consultant | Visiting Senior Lecturer King's College London | Author: 'The War on Drugs and Anglo-American Relations: Lessons from Afghanistan | Ex UK Home Office counter-narcotics official
Pinned
‘There has never been a more dangerous time to take drugs’: the rising global threat of nitazenes and synthetic opioids
Unlike opium, nitazenes and other synthetic opioids can be produced anywhere in the world using precursor chemicals that are often uncontrolled.
theconversation.com
I'm pleased to share my take for @uk.theconversation.com about nitazene supply & use in the UK & EU. It details the actors currently behind the trade, how the UK government has responded & offers some tentative conclusions about how this may develop in the future
theconversation.com/there-has-ne...
theconversation.com/there-has-ne...
It’s significant –but unsurprising–that the UK has stopped intel sharing w/ the US, after the drug boat strikes in the Caribbean. A similar event occurred in 2017 when the UK prevented JNAC providing the US with intel to bomb drug labs in Afghanistan @cnn.com
edition.cnn.com/2025/11/11/p...
edition.cnn.com/2025/11/11/p...
Exclusive: UK suspends some intelligence sharing with US over boat strike concerns in major break | CNN Politics
The United Kingdom is no longer sharing intelligence with the US about suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean because it does not want to be complicit in US military strikes and believes ...
edition.cnn.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:17 PM
It’s significant –but unsurprising–that the UK has stopped intel sharing w/ the US, after the drug boat strikes in the Caribbean. A similar event occurred in 2017 when the UK prevented JNAC providing the US with intel to bomb drug labs in Afghanistan @cnn.com
edition.cnn.com/2025/11/11/p...
edition.cnn.com/2025/11/11/p...
Reposted by Philip A. Berry
Conflating the many, tangled relationships between terror and trafficking under the single heading of “narco-terrorism” is a recipe for bad policy, writes Philip A. Berry.
The Use and Abuse of ‘Narco-Terrorism’
From Afghanistan to Venezuela, the misleading term has inspired decades of misguided policies against real problems.
foreignpolicy.com
November 9, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Conflating the many, tangled relationships between terror and trafficking under the single heading of “narco-terrorism” is a recipe for bad policy, writes Philip A. Berry.
Following the controversial and likely unlawful actions taken by the Trump administration in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean against suspected drug-running boats, I'm pleased to share my take on the history of ‘narco-terrorism’ for @foreignpolicy.com
foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/07/n...
foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/07/n...
The Use and Abuse of ‘Narco-Terrorism’
From Afghanistan to Venezuela, the misleading term has inspired decades of misguided policies against real problems.
foreignpolicy.com
November 7, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Following the controversial and likely unlawful actions taken by the Trump administration in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean against suspected drug-running boats, I'm pleased to share my take on the history of ‘narco-terrorism’ for @foreignpolicy.com
foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/07/n...
foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/07/n...
Reposted by Philip A. Berry
Authorities around the world are sounding warnings about a new, highly potent synthetic opioid, largely manufactured in China, @drphilipaberry.bsky.social writes.
A New Front Opens in the Battle Against Synthetic Opioids
Authorities around the world are sounding warnings about a new, highly potent synthetic opioid, largely manufactured in China.
www.worldpoliticsreview.com
September 24, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Authorities around the world are sounding warnings about a new, highly potent synthetic opioid, largely manufactured in China, @drphilipaberry.bsky.social writes.
I’m delighted to share my take for World Politics Review about the UK’s counter-narcotics support to Ecuador. The article highlights the scale of the drug problem in Ecuador and provides historical context about the UK’s anti-drug assistance to the country
www.worldpoliticsreview.com/uk-ecuador-c...
www.worldpoliticsreview.com/uk-ecuador-c...
Ecuador’s Cocaine Trafficking Crisis Is a Problem for the U.K., Too
The increasing volumes of cocaine reaching the U.K. meet a soaring demand that has resulted in the country having the second-highest cocaine usage rate in the world.
www.worldpoliticsreview.com
July 22, 2025 at 3:49 PM
I’m delighted to share my take for World Politics Review about the UK’s counter-narcotics support to Ecuador. The article highlights the scale of the drug problem in Ecuador and provides historical context about the UK’s anti-drug assistance to the country
www.worldpoliticsreview.com/uk-ecuador-c...
www.worldpoliticsreview.com/uk-ecuador-c...
There were at least 333 drug-related deaths involving #nitazenes in the UK in 2024.
This compares to 342 synthetic opioid, including #fentanyl, deaths in Germany in the same year.
www.bundesdrogenbeauftragter.de/presse/detai...
This compares to 342 synthetic opioid, including #fentanyl, deaths in Germany in the same year.
www.bundesdrogenbeauftragter.de/presse/detai...
Jetzt handeln und Drogenkrise verhindern - Der Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Sucht- und Drogenfragen
Prof. Dr. Hendrik Streeck: „Wir müssen schneller, systematischer und konsequenter reagieren auf neue, immer gefährlichere Drogen.“
www.bundesdrogenbeauftragter.de
July 8, 2025 at 12:14 PM
There were at least 333 drug-related deaths involving #nitazenes in the UK in 2024.
This compares to 342 synthetic opioid, including #fentanyl, deaths in Germany in the same year.
www.bundesdrogenbeauftragter.de/presse/detai...
This compares to 342 synthetic opioid, including #fentanyl, deaths in Germany in the same year.
www.bundesdrogenbeauftragter.de/presse/detai...
In 2024, there were 2,137 drug-related deaths in Germany, 90 cases fewer than the previous year.
‘#Synthetic #opioids such as #fentanyl [has] been found in…342 cases, approximately 16 percent’.
www.bundesdrogenbeauftragter.de/presse/detai...
‘#Synthetic #opioids such as #fentanyl [has] been found in…342 cases, approximately 16 percent’.
www.bundesdrogenbeauftragter.de/presse/detai...
Jetzt handeln und Drogenkrise verhindern - Der Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Sucht- und Drogenfragen
Prof. Dr. Hendrik Streeck: „Wir müssen schneller, systematischer und konsequenter reagieren auf neue, immer gefährlichere Drogen.“
www.bundesdrogenbeauftragter.de
July 8, 2025 at 11:48 AM
In 2024, there were 2,137 drug-related deaths in Germany, 90 cases fewer than the previous year.
‘#Synthetic #opioids such as #fentanyl [has] been found in…342 cases, approximately 16 percent’.
www.bundesdrogenbeauftragter.de/presse/detai...
‘#Synthetic #opioids such as #fentanyl [has] been found in…342 cases, approximately 16 percent’.
www.bundesdrogenbeauftragter.de/presse/detai...
Russia is the first country to recognise the Taliban regime. Will other repressive states follow suit?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Russia the first to recognise Taliban government in Afghanistan
The foreign minister in Kabul called Moscow's decision
www.bbc.co.uk
July 4, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Russia is the first country to recognise the Taliban regime. Will other repressive states follow suit?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
A massive 3,600 kilograms of #cocaine, worth £76 million, was concealed within bananas and transited the port of Southampton en route to Hamburg.
www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/2525345...
www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/2525345...
Cocaine worth £76m found hidden in bananas at city port
Cocaine worth more than £76m was found stashed inside bananas onboard a vessel at Southampton port
www.dailyecho.co.uk
June 20, 2025 at 2:00 PM
A massive 3,600 kilograms of #cocaine, worth £76 million, was concealed within bananas and transited the port of Southampton en route to Hamburg.
www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/2525345...
www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/2525345...
China has announced it is scheduling the entire class of nitazene-related substances. It will be interesting to see how this, if at all, impacts #nitazene supply.
www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202506/19/...
www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202506/19/...
China to regulate all nitazene-related substances
www.chinadaily.com.cn
June 20, 2025 at 1:49 PM
China has announced it is scheduling the entire class of nitazene-related substances. It will be interesting to see how this, if at all, impacts #nitazene supply.
www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202506/19/...
www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202506/19/...
This is disgraceful, but unsurprising given how Musk operates.
Federal workers are slated to receive a second email Saturday asking them for a bullet-point description of what they did in the past week — only this time, a new strategy from the Trump administration means they might have to respond.
Federal workers could get a second email Saturday. It might require a response.
A new strategy might compel employees to respond with bulleted lists of what they did in the past week.
wapo.st
February 28, 2025 at 4:14 PM
This is disgraceful, but unsurprising given how Musk operates.
Reposted by Philip A. Berry
What is at stake in the US-UK trade talks?
https://www.ft.com/content/ab671907-51a5-4826-9204-68fdd0bdbd67
https://www.ft.com/content/ab671907-51a5-4826-9204-68fdd0bdbd67
What is at stake in the US-UK trade talks?
President Trump has raised the prospect of a deal that could help Britain avoid tariffs
www.ft.com
February 28, 2025 at 1:45 PM
What is at stake in the US-UK trade talks?
https://www.ft.com/content/ab671907-51a5-4826-9204-68fdd0bdbd67
https://www.ft.com/content/ab671907-51a5-4826-9204-68fdd0bdbd67
Reposted by Philip A. Berry
It’s a ‘very b ig deal’ says the US president. But will it bring peace and security to Ukraine?
Trump mineral deal with Ukraine offers hope but little in the way of security
It’s a ‘very b ig deal’ says the US president. But will it bring peace and security to Ukraine?
tcnv.link
February 28, 2025 at 9:34 AM
It’s a ‘very b ig deal’ says the US president. But will it bring peace and security to Ukraine?
I'm pleased to share my take for @uk.theconversation.com about nitazene supply & use in the UK & EU. It details the actors currently behind the trade, how the UK government has responded & offers some tentative conclusions about how this may develop in the future
theconversation.com/there-has-ne...
theconversation.com/there-has-ne...
‘There has never been a more dangerous time to take drugs’: the rising global threat of nitazenes and synthetic opioids
Unlike opium, nitazenes and other synthetic opioids can be produced anywhere in the world using precursor chemicals that are often uncontrolled.
theconversation.com
February 27, 2025 at 2:34 PM
I'm pleased to share my take for @uk.theconversation.com about nitazene supply & use in the UK & EU. It details the actors currently behind the trade, how the UK government has responded & offers some tentative conclusions about how this may develop in the future
theconversation.com/there-has-ne...
theconversation.com/there-has-ne...
Reposted by Philip A. Berry
Unlike opium, nitazenes and other synthetic opioids can be produced anywhere in the world using precursor chemicals that are often uncontrolled.
‘There has never been a more dangerous time to take drugs’: the rising global threat of nitazenes and synthetic opioids
Unlike opium, nitazenes and other synthetic opioids can be produced anywhere in the world using precursor chemicals that are often uncontrolled.
tcnv.link
February 8, 2025 at 7:59 AM
Unlike opium, nitazenes and other synthetic opioids can be produced anywhere in the world using precursor chemicals that are often uncontrolled.
Reposted by Philip A. Berry
The deal that Trump left for his successor Joe Biden was a recipe for the disaster that followed.
How Trump the ‘master deal-maker’ failed when it came to negotiating with the Taliban in Afghanistan
The deal that Trump left for his successor Joe Biden was a recipe for the disaster that followed.
tcnv.link
February 27, 2025 at 6:27 AM
The deal that Trump left for his successor Joe Biden was a recipe for the disaster that followed.
I'm pleased to share my take for the @uk.theconversation.com comparing President Trump's disastrous deal with the #Taliban in 2020 with his early strategy for 'peace' talks with Russia over its illegal invasion of #Ukraine: theconversation.com/how-trump-th...
How Trump the ‘master deal-maker’ failed when it came to negotiating with the Taliban in Afghanistan
The deal that Trump left for his successor Joe Biden was a recipe for the disaster that followed.
theconversation.com
February 27, 2025 at 2:24 PM
I'm pleased to share my take for the @uk.theconversation.com comparing President Trump's disastrous deal with the #Taliban in 2020 with his early strategy for 'peace' talks with Russia over its illegal invasion of #Ukraine: theconversation.com/how-trump-th...