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From Our Own Correspondent: The Endless Opioid Epidemic

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Killer drug.  1 – The Mexico connection

15/04/2023 GMT

The Endless Opioid Epidemic

BBC World Service - From Our Own Correspondent, The Endless Opioid Epidemic

Drugs like fentanyl are devastating communities on both sides of the US-Mexico border.

Battling the opioid crisis on both sides of the US-Mexico border; plus the shifting sands of Saudi foreign policy, and the honour bestowed on regular customers in Austria's cafes.

Pascale Harter introduces personal stories and analysis from the USA, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Austria.

Last year, more than 100,000 Americans died from a drug overdose - two-thirds of them after using synthetic opioids like Fentanyl. Tim Mansel was in San Diego where he saw how the opioid crisis is still gripping American communities.

And we hear from the Mexican port of Manzanillo, where the government is battling cartels who smuggle in raw materials for drugs such as Fentanyl from Asia, before sending them across the US border. Linda Pressly meets the town's mayor who is trying to turn the tide of crime - at great personal cost.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s recent rapprochement with regional rival Iran has wrong-footed many observers. Sebastian Usher considers how difficult it is for ordinary Saudis to navigate the shifting sands of the Kingdom’s international relations. 

And Bethany Bell reflects on the elevated status afforded to regulars of restaurants and cafes in Austria. Being recognised as a 'stammgast' comes with extra privileges - but it can take years to be accepted into this select circle.

Producer: Louise Hidalgo
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Production Co-Ordinator: Helena Warwick-Close

[Photo: The Navy is in charge of security at Mexico’s seaports in a bid to stop the chemicals used to make fentanyl coming in from Asia. Credit: Tim Mansel]

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