INCB Delivers Joint Multiagency Capacity Building of GRIDS Fusion Intelligence and Targeting Tools for Enforcement Officers at the CYCLOPS Training Centre in Cyprus
Larnaca, Cyprus, 25 October 2024 - The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) Global Rapid Interdiction of Dangerous Substances (GRIDS) Programme organized a joint five-day cross-border training and networking event, bringing together law and regulatory enforcement officers from Armenia, Cyprus, Georgia, and Ukraine. The event, which took place from 21 to 25 October in Larnaca, focused on enhancing the governments' ability to address the growing threats posed by emerging synthetic drugs, New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), synthetic opioids and related chemicals using INCB tools.
Welcoming all participants to the state-of-the-art training centre, Ms. Xenia Strouthou, Deputy Director of the CYCLOPS Training Centre, underscored the significance of such training initiatives in raising awareness and equipping officers to effectively combat trafficking of dangerous substances. Integration of advanced tools and new technologies in a fusion centre approach is key to countering the threat of synthetic drugs.
Sixteen officers from Armenia, Cyprus, Georgia, and Ukraine were provided with a comprehensive overview of international law, INCB's mandate and the GRIDS programme and its tools that address the challenges of trafficking dangerous substances. In addition, representatives from the participating agencies shared national updates on the latest threats in emerging synthetic drugs and related chemicals through recent operational developments.
Participants received access and training on INCB proprietary suite of communications and intelligence tools, including the Project ION Incident Communication System (IONICS) that enables real-time sharing of information related to the drug and chemical seizures and suspicious shipments. Participants also received access to the entire suite of GRIDS Intelligence HD, the advanced targeting system that converts IONICS communications into actionable intelligence for daily operations and risk profiling, with discussions on how these tools can be integrated into national and regional multiagency fusion centres.
Photo: GRIDS Team member presenting IONICS Module
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.
INCB is leading global efforts to establish a network of national and regional multi-agency fusion centres that integrates its countertrafficking technology solutions. The INCB GRIDS Programme is supported by the Governments of Canada, Japan and the United States of America.
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