INCB partners in the South Pacific to Boost Intelligence Capacity in the Fight Against NPS and Opioids Trafficking
4 April 2023 Apia, Samoa - Customs and postal security officers from 14 South Pacific governments were trained in the fight against dangerous substance trafficking by the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) Global Rapid Interdiction of Dangerous Substances (GRIDS) Programme during the Pacific Training Symposium organized by the Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO) from March 27 to 31, 2023. The training aimed to raise awareness about the trafficking of dangerous substances in the region and build cross-border cooperation and trust among customs and postal security officers.
The symposium brought together 32 senior officers from the Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. The training was provided by experts from SINCB, OCO, Universal Postal Union (UPU), and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).
Photo: Daphney Stone, Operations Manager of OCO, opening the security training workshop.
Officers were given access to advanced targeting tools and INCB's global communications platforms, including IONICS, GRIDS Intelligence HD, and ELITE, to facilitate the exchange of information and intelligence-led targeting to support investigations. The officers were trained on the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and rapid drug test kits to detect various synthetic opioids. The training also covered the awareness of key fentanyl and synthetic drug precursors, the equipment trafficked for the illicit manufacture of fentanyls and other synthetic drugs, and the open-source intelligence targeting of online traffickers, all specific to the region. Field reviews at the Tonga postal facilities examined security procedures and an understanding of the risk profiling of suspicious consignments were also conducted.
In her opening remarks, Daphney Stone, Operations Manager 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.
Photo: Multi-agency customs and postal security officers from 14 governments take part in practical field security review exercises
The GRIDS Programme continued its Pacific consultations and training at the Pacific Transnational Crime Unit (TCU) and the Pacific Transnational Crime Coordination Centre (PTCCC) in Apia, Samoa 3-4 April 2023. The event brought together law enforcement analysts from, Fiji, Nauru, Samoa and Tonga. The officers received regional-specific intelligence on the trafficking of dangerous substances such as NPS, synthetic opioids, and fentanyl-related substances and were trained on using the IONICS secure communication platform and GRIDS intelligence to exchange information with focal points across the globe. Modules for awareness of key fentanyl and synthetic drug precursors, awareness of key equipment trafficked for illicit fentanyls and other synthetic drug manufacture and open-source intelligence targeting of online traffickers were also delivered.
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 Governments of Japan and 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