INCB Operation New Horizons identifies new trafficking in tapentadol, an emerging synthetic opioid

Vienna, 10 May 2021 - The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) partnered with 164 officers from 85 agencies and INTERPOL, Oceania Customs Organization (OCO), the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and the World Customs Organization (WCO), to identify emerging global trafficking sources for non-medical synthetic opioids following a time-bound operation, codenamed "New Horizons".

The operation focused on identifying the key sources and re-distribution points involving consignments of non-medical tramadol and tapentadol-a non-scheduled synthetic opioid analgesic similar to tramadol-and targeted shipments trafficked primarily through the international post, express mail and courier services, air cargo and freight forwarders. The objective of this operation was to identify and dismantle manufacturing, marketing and distribution points through the exchange of actionable intelligence by focal points worldwide.

More than 230 communications were exchanged by law and regulatory officers through the Project ION communication platform, IONICS. Thirty-four countries and territories were directly affected by traffic in these substances with seizures of tramadol totaling 113 kg and 1.1 million tablets, and tapentadol totaling 194 kg and 1.7 million tablets. Matthew Nice, INCB manager for the OPIOIDS Project in the operational debriefing, noted, "Operation New Horizons involved more law and regulatory enforcement agencies and resulted in more communications than any previous NPS operation, and the results by Governments countering synthetic opioids trafficking were impressive, even more so given that the operation was conducted within the context of the on-going COVID-19 pandemic."

The emergence of large-scale tapentadol trafficking was identified, particularly in consignments destined for Africa, with packaging and modius operandi bearing a striking resemblance to that of trafficked tramadol. The Board, in its 2019 Annual Report, noted that the strengthening of India's national controls over tramadol may lead to traffickers to substitute the active ingredients in high brand recognition tramadol products with other potent synthetic opioids.

The OPIOIDS Project is one of three pillars - along with Project ION and INCB's Public-Private Partnership initiative- of the Global Rapid Interdiction of Dangerous Substances (GRIDS) Programme launched by the Board in 2019.

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