INCB Hosts Virtual Training for Jamaican Officers on Combatting NPS, Opioids and Other Dangerous Substances
Kingston, Jamaica, 4-5 November 2024 - In light of Tropical Storm Rafael, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB)'s GRIDS Programme adapted its planned in-person training for Jamaican officers into a virtual format. This training is part of the INCB's ongoing initiative to support Caribbean law enforcement agencies in addressing the trafficking of new psychoactive substances (NPS) and synthetic opioids. These substances, particularly those outside international control, present unique challenges due to their potency, posing risks even at minimal dosages.
This recent session for Jamaican officers reflects the INCB's commitment to enhancing Caribbean nations' capacity to respond to emerging synthetic drug threats. Led by the INCB's Regional Technical Officer for Latin America and the Caribbean, the training covered key topics in synthetic drug identification, trafficking trends, and methods for secure, real-time intelligence sharing through INCB platforms. It also included a module on safe handling of dangerous substances. Officers from various agencies participated, sharing their own observations and intelligence on trafficking methods encountered within Jamaica.
The programme introduced Jamaican officers to INCB's proprietary tools-IONICS, GRIDS Intelligence HD, and ELITE-which support international communication and facilitate actionable intelligence-sharing across borders.
Despite the remote setting, the training remained highly interactive, encouraging participants to exchange insights on trafficking trends and to discuss recent incidents involving NPS and synthetic opioids encountered in Jamaica.
This training session underscores the INCB's strengthened partnership with Caribbean agencies to counteract synthetic drug trafficking, building on the Memorandum of Understanding signed between INCB and CARICOM IMPACS.
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.
This event was made possible through generous support from the United States Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL).
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