INCB partners in the North Pacific to build intelligence capacity to effectively counter NPS and opioids trafficking
9 Dec 2022 Hagatna, Guam - The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) Global Rapid Interdiction of Dangerous Substances (GRIDS) Programme conducted awareness raising activities on dangerous substances being trafficked in the North Pacific region and trained customs and postal security officers on the inter and intra-regional exchange of intelligence and cross-border cooperation using its global communication platforms. The event was held during the Pacific Training Symposium, organized by the Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO) and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).
The workshop brought together 19 senior customs, postal security and regulatory officers from six governments including Guam, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Northern Mariana Islands, Palau and the United States. Instructions were provided by international experts from the INCB GRIDS Programme, the OCO, the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and the United States, to build capacity addressing trafficking in the region. The event builds upon the UPU-INCB 2018 Cooperation Agreement and the OCO-INCB 2019 memorandum of understanding to strengthen practical international cooperation to stem trafficking of dangerous substances.
Photos: A participant uses INCB's rapid training tablets to search for and enter real cases of NPS trafficking into the IONICS platform
In her opening remarks, Daphney Stone, Acting Head of Secretariat of OCO, stated, "the Pacific is no longer only a transit point for narcotics and synthetic drugs, thus information sharing platforms available to OCO member countries, such as APAN and IONICS, contribute to their own awareness and that of their agencies in combating issues the Pacific now faces". Regional capacity building, "opens people's minds towards the need to share information and actively collaborate with partners both in the region and internationally on addressing the ever-increasing spectra of narcotics and precursor materials entering the pacific", concluded Daphney.
Trainers led live practical exercises on the appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE), rapid field testing for opioids and safe handling and interdictions. Officers were provided access to INCB global secure NPS communications platform (IONICS), advanced targeting tools (GRIDS Intelligence) and the virtual training environment (ELITE) to support domestic and international investigations. Following these activities, site visits were held at the Guam Customs and postal facilities where experts discussed and demonstrated risk profiling, practical examination procedures for cargo operations, and equipment used to test for NPS, synthetic opioids and other dangerous substances.
Photos: Participants performing practical safe handling exercises in PPE
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.
This event was made possible through generous support from the Government of Canada, Global Affairs Canada.
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