Building Awareness and Capacity to Counter NPS and Opioids Trafficking for Cambodian Law Enforcement Officers
10 March 2022, Phnom Penh - The International Narcotic Control Board's (INCB) Global Rapid Interdiction of Dangerous Substances (GRIDS) Programme conducted a training of Cambodian officers on the threat of new psychotropic substances (NPS), synthetic opioids and other dangerous substances as well approaches and tools to enhance the regional and global exchange of information and intelligence-led targeting.
The 2-day training held from 9-10 March was organized in collaboration with United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific (ROSEAP) and the National Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The training brought together 20 frontline officers from the National Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD), the General Commiserate of National Police, General Department of Customs and Excise, Ministry of Health and several others including the Crime Research and Suppression Dept in the National Gendarmes, and the Chemical Management Office in the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
Photo: A participant uses INCB's rapid training tablets to search for and enter real cases of NPS trafficking into the IONICS platform
INCB provided region-specific intelligence on the trafficking of dangerous substances such as, NPS, synthetic opioids, and fentanyl-related substances, followed by interactive trainings on safe-handling and interdiction of these substances. INCB experts trained officers on the effective use of the Project ION Incident Communication System (IONICS) and the GRIDS Intelligence tool to support domestic and international trafficking investigations. Using INCB's rapid training tablets, officers had access to GRIDS Intelligence, a state-of-the-art targeting tool that transforms IONICS information into actionable intelligence for use in intelligence-led targeting and risk profiling work. In addition, the INCB trainers demonstrated how to use the GRIDS Drug Test kits that had been provided to each agency and are capable of detecting ketamine, tramadol and synthetic cannabinoids in front line and field locations.
Photo: Aleksander Piecyk, GRIDS trainer demonstrates the importance of intelligence-led targetting using the GRIDS Intelligence Tool
Mr. Khim Khanik, Deputy Chief of the Customs Control Office, gave an excellent presentation highlighting the latest trends, modus operandi and methods of concealment used by traffickers of NPS, synthetic opioids and other dangerous substances in Cambodia. He finished his presentation by underscoring the importance of building networks between national, regional and international authorities.
Photo: Mr. Khim Khanik, Deputy Chief of the Customs Control Office demonstrating several GRIDS Field Guids translated into Khmer
The event was also supported by INCB's Precursor Control Section which briefed officers on some of its operational work including Projects Prism and Cohesion, and provided training on its operational tools, PEN Online and the PICS system as well as its CNA reference material only available to Competent National Authorities.
Speaking to participants during the event, Mr. Long Nguyen Duc, Regional Technical Officer of the GRIDS Programme in Southeast Asia highlighted: "Given the current emerging situation of new psychotropic substances (NPS) and precursors in the region, particularly ketamine and synthetic cannabinoids, the capacity of officers as well as information-sharing and inter-agency collaboration is crucial. This training for drug, law enforcement and regulatory officers of the Kingdom of Cambodia is aimed to strengthen the capacity of officers to better communicate and share information and promote cooperation among these agencies with a view to stopping illicit trafficking of non-scheduled substances and precursors and how to safely handle substances you may encounter"
The Board's Global Rapid Interdiction of Dangerous Substances (GRIDS) Programme and Project ION and OPIOIDS Project support Governments' capacity to respond to changing trafficking, illicit manufacture, marketing and sales of NPS, non-medical synthetic opioids and fentanyl-related substances by providing real-time communication, facilitating information exchange and intelligence development that interdict distribution of dangerous substances.
The SINCB participation in this event was made possible through generous support from the Government of Japan.
Click here to learn more about the GRIDS Programme
Click here to learn more about the OPIOIDS Project
Click here to learn more about the Project ION