INCB convenes operational meeting to counter trafficking in dangerous synthetic drugs and chemicals through postal, courier and air cargo services
Vienna, 6 September 2022 - The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) has commenced its 5th annual international operational expert meeting to address trafficking in dangerous synthetic drugs and related chemicals through postal, express mail, courier and air cargo services. The four-day event, POSTAL5, is taking place at the United Nations Office at Vienna with the participation of officers and officials from 30 countries and international organizations, including the Universal Postal Union (UPU), Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), Gulf Cooperation Corporation (GCC), Interpol, Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO), Postal Union of the Americas, Spain and Portugal (UPAEP), UNODC and the World Customs Organization (WCO).
Building on the operational successes achieved since the 2018 INCB - UPU cooperation agreement, the meeting was organized in the framework of the Global Rapid Interdiction of Dangerous Substances (GRIDS) Programme's OPIOIDS Project, and recognizes the significant role that international postal, express mail, couriers and air cargo services can play in preventing trafficking in and movement of these dangerous substances. The event further strengthened UPU-INCB cooperation this year, by also supporting the meeting of the UPU Postal Security Group.
POSTAL5 brings together nearly 60 officers and officials from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Uruguay and Viet Nam, along with international and private sector partners, to review the latest trafficking threats and security issues related to dangerous non-scheduled and emerging synthetic substances. The results of INCB special Operation GAPZ that focused on gabapentin, pregabalin, xylazine and zopiclone trafficking were also examined.
The event will also see the formalization of an agreement for increased operational cooperation between INCB and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS). This agreement represents a practical approach that will provide a framework for the sharing of expertise, information and intelligence critical in preventing trafficking in dangerous substances in the Caribbean.
The Board's Global Rapid Interdiction of Dangerous Substances (GRIDS) Programme and its Project ION and global OPIOIDS Project and its Public-Private Partnerships initiatives support Governments' capacity to respond to changing trafficking, illicit manufacture, marketing and sales of NPS, synthetic opioids and fentanyl-related substances by facilitating real-time information exchange, intelligence development and actions 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 United States of America's Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and the Government of Canada's Global Affairs Canada.
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