INCB Precursors Task Force launches international cooperation initiative to address the illicit manufacture of fake "Captagon" tablets
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VIENNA, 17 October - The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) Precursors Task Force of Project Prism launched today an international initiative aimed at closing knowledge gaps with regard to the types and sources of chemicals used in the illicit manufacture of fake "Captagon" tablets. |
There has been much media coverage of actual or suspected production of fake "Captagon" tablets as a source of revenue in armed conflicts in countries in the Middle East, and there is probably no other synthetic drug seized regularly in such large quantities. At the same time, there is a striking lack of information about the sources of amphetamine, a synthetic stimulant and typically the main illicitly manufactured active ingredient in fake "Captagon" tablets. While illicit laboratories compressing amphetamine powder and other ingredients into "Captagon" tablets are occasionally reported, much less frequently are there reports of illicit laboratories synthesizing amphetamine or reports of seizures of the required chemical starting materials.
The international initiative aims to close these gaps and is an example of the cooperation that can be achieved when authorities around the world, covering the entire spectrum of precursor control (from regulatory, to customs, police and specialized agencies), join forces to address a common goal.