Building Awareness of INCB Initiatives and Tools to Counter NPS trafficking through postal network in Arusha, Tanzania

Arusha, Tanzania, 27-30 September 2022 - The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) Global Rapid Interdiction of Dangerous Substances (GRIDS) Programme delivered training at an Advanced Certification Training Workshop for Postal Security Experts in Tanzania organized by the Universal Postal Union (UPU). This event functions within the framework of the 2018 UPU-INCB cooperation agreement, which aimed to facilitate the sharing of information and development of actionable intelligence for postal officers globally, while ensuring the safety of front-line postal operators.

The three-day workshop provided security certification for the 83 participating Postal Security Experts from various countries across the African continent. Mr. Amari Bedi Oliver, GRIDS Regional Technical Officer (RTO) for West and Central Africa, delivered awareness raising and safe handling approaches to the threat of new psychotropic substances (NPS), non-medical synthetic opioids, and other fentanyl-related substances in the postal supply chain and helped facilitate the achievement of UPU's Security Certification. Effective use of Project ION Incident Communication System (IONICS) and the GRIDS Intelligence HD targeting platforms for information-sharing and investigative purposes was also covered in the curriculum. Officers additionally received a demonstration on the appropriate use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Postal operators play a critical role in detecting and interdicting emerging dangerous substances in the global supply chain, as governments, businesses, and individuals across the world continue to utilise postal services, which only increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. The growing reliance on the postal channels presents unique challenges, such as greater opportunities for traffickers to exploit and misuse legitimate postal services. Considering these challenges, information and equipping postal security operators with access tools and information is vital for an effective response to counter trafficking initiatives. The Board emphasized the importance of international initiatives and voluntary multi-agency and industry cooperation with technical organisations, like UPU, for the counter-trafficking of NPS, especially within the postal channel.

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 GRIDS Programme is supported by the Governments of Canada, Japan and the United States. This event was made possible through generous support from the Governments of 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

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