What's India got to do with West Africa's opioid crisis? + Filipino R&B, Malian cinema and Bhojpuri pop

Issue 416: Investigative journalism in India saves millions of teenagers in Nigeria, latest report on capital punishment in Iran, scientific discoveries in Brazil and Mexico, and so much more.

There are moments when I fall in love with journalism all over again. Maybe during my reporting trip on the German election for The Guardian last week, but most importantly, it was a recent BBC Africa Eye investigation that really blew me away. Because of it, an entire company is now in ruins (and hopefully for good), and four million people are (probably) less at risk of overdosing on a combo of opioids so strong they’re forbidden everywhere. Another “highlight” of this issue: I’m taking a much closer look at the recent report on capital punishment in Iran (perhaps “lowlight” is a better word here). Plus, I’ll introduce you to two new genres for your Spotify Wrapped 2025, Filipino R&B and Bhojpuri pop, will make you want to search the entire internet for some world-class Malian cinema, celebrate a few scientific discoveries in Brazil and Mexico and maybe catch some mosquitoes for cash in the Philippines together (or not), and so much more.

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West Africa’s opioid crisis is linked to an Indian company – and now they’re being taken down

What happened (I just love stories like this because this is what made me want to become a journalist in the first place) A BBC Africa Eye investigation has found out that an India-based company is linked to the opioid crisis in West Africa.

Why this matters: Opioids have become a huge problem all over the world. They're cheap, easy to get and often sold on the streets without any proper regulation, and have caused public health crises in many different countries, specifically in the United States, Canada and elsewhere. In Nigeria, it is estimated that some four million young people are addicted to some form of opioid. Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire are also seeing the same problems.

Tell me more The Indian company in question is Aveo Pharmaceuticals. Until recently, the company made a range of pills that go under different brand names and were made to look like real medicines. However, all pills were a mix of two very dangerous opioids, tapentadol and carisoprodol (this is a muscle relaxant so addictive it's banned in Europe; not in the US though). This particular mix is not licensed for use anywhere and can cause all sorts of problems; think difficulties breathing (!), seizures. Basically, you can easily overdose and die. Publicly-available export data show that Aveo Pharmaceuticals, along with a sister company called Westfin International, had been shipping millions (!) of these tablets to Ghana and other West African countries.

How did this all come to light? The BBC World Service found packets of Aveo's pills on the streets of Ghana, Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire, and traced them back to a factory in India. This is where it gets cool (forgive my being a nerd about this for a second): The BBC then sent an undercover reporter to India, posing as a fake businessman looking to supply drugs to Nigeria. Using a hidden camera, the BBC filmed one of Aveo's directors, Vinod Sharma, showing off the same dangerous products the BBC found for sale across West Africa. "Oh, all the teenagers in Nigeria love it <3", one of Aveo's directors, Vinod Sharma, says. "This is very harmful for the health. Nowadays, this is business."

Once the investigation aired, India acted fast, "what the actual f*ck? We promise we're regulating things very strictly", banned two opioids, raided the company's factory, and seized millions of pills. They've also pulled the company's license to produce and export these drugs. And: They’ve promised further legal action.

Good to know: In 2018, another BBC Africa Eye investigation found that tramadol, another opioid, was being widely abused in West Africa. In response, Nigerian authorities cracked down on the drug – with some success. Companies like Aveo then simply replaced tramadol with a stronger opioid combination, filling the gap left by the crackdown.

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Iran executed close to 1000 people in 2024 – that's 17% more than in 2023

What happened According to a report by Iran Human Rights (IHR) and France's Together Against Death Penalty (ECPM), Iran executed 975 people last year, which is a 17% increase from the year before. It's also the highest number of executions in 20+ years.

Why this matters: The crimes that are punishable by death in Iran are murder, rape, drug offenses, and broad charges such as "corruption on Earth" and "rebellion", which human rights groups say, "oh well, that's like sayin' you'll kill everyone who disagrees with you politically."

Tell me more Here are some facts that I thought were worth pointing out in particular:

• The majority—503 people—were executed for drug-related charges. This is a big shift from earlier years, and it’s part of a trend where drug charges are the main reason people are sentenced to death.

• 419 people (about 43% of all executions) were executed for murder. Among them, 2 protesters were also charged with murder.

• 31 people were executed for political reasons, like being accused of crimes against the state, such as "enmity against God" or "corruption on Earth". This group included 9 Kurdish political prisoners and a dissident who was kidnapped from another country.

• 4 people were hanged in public.

• One child was executed, and there are still investigations into 3 other possible cases of children being executed.

• 31 women were executed, which is the highest number in the last 17 years.

• 5 of the people executed had psychosocial or intellectual disabilities.

• The people most affected by these executions are marginalized groups, like ethnic minorities, especially the Baluch.

• 80 Afghan citizens were executed in 2024, which is a big jump from 25 in 2023 and 16 in 2022.

• 90% of executions in 2024 (around 880 executions) were kept secret. Usually, the government announces more of them publicly.

• 649 people sentenced to death for murder were forgiven by the families of the victims, as part of Iran’s qisas laws (a system where victims’ families can choose to forgive or demand the death penalty).

The head of Iran Human Rights, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, said, "you know, while everyone was focused on the conflict between Iran and Israel, the Iranian government took advantage of that distraction to secretly carry out 5 to 6 executions a day. They view Iranians demanding basic rights as its biggest threat. These executions are just a way for the government to terrorize its own people and maintain control." Then there's also the UN that the report writers are extremely mad at.

• Some hard-to-read details: I'll give you two names to remember. Abbas Karimi, a father of two, was hanged because his family couldn’t afford to pay the blood money (the amount the murderer’s family has to pay to avoid execution)—which was over one million euros. In another case, Ahmad Alizadeh was hanged, then brought down, revived at the victim’s request, and later executed again.

• Some good news: There's a point to campaigning. Two Kurdish women activists, Pakhshan Azizi and Varisheh Moradi, were sentenced to death in Iran. However, because of strong public campaigns and international pressure, their sentences haven’t been carried out yet. They’re still in serious danger, though. Follow this Kurdish account on BlueSky for updates.

Why did the UN do? Raphaël Chenuil-Hazan, the head of ECPM (the French org against capital punishment), is calling out the UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) for still working with Iran while the country is executing hundreds of people each year for drug-related crimes. He’s saying that by continuing to cooperate with Iran on law enforcement projects, the UNODC and the countries funding these projects are basically helping a system that’s responsible for these executions. It’s like they’re indirectly supporting it. His big point is that the UNODC needs to stop all its projects in Iran until Iran stops executing people for drug crimes. He’s also pushing for a moratorium—a pause—on the death penalty for crimes that aren’t the "most serious" under international law (like drug offenses). This pause, he says, should be a must before any kind of cooperation can happen again.

What now? In March 2025, at the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council, the International Independent Fact-Finding Mission (FFMI) will present its final report on the human rights abuses committed by the Iranian government since the "Jin, Jiyan, Azadi" protests began Jina Mahsa Amini's death in 2022.

When the FFMI report is released, Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) and ECPM are urging the international community—especially the UN Human Rights Council, the UNODC, and countries with diplomatic ties to Iran—to make the death penalty a major focus in their talks with Iranian officials.