Nadi, Fiji, 22 October 2025
The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), through its Global Rapid Interdiction of Dangerous Substances (GRIDS) Programme and MoU partners the Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO) joined forces in delivering specialized training to customs intelligence officers from across the Pacific on monitoring and interdiction of dangerous new psychoactive substances (NPS), synthetic opioids, fentanyls and related chemicals, enhancing information-sharing and intelligence development capabilities.
The Regional Training for OCO Intelligence Contact Points (ICPs) event was held in Nadi from 13-17 October 2025 and brought together representatives from 18 Pacific customs administrations to strengthen intelligence-sharing and operational cooperation in combating the growing threat of synthetic drug production and trafficking in the region. Officers from the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and neighboring territories took part in the training, which was facilitated by experts from the GRIDS Programme, OCO, Australian Border Force and New Zealand Customs Service.
"Pacific countries are increasingly exposed to the global illicit synthetic drug trade. Strengthening the capacity of frontline customs officers to identify and stop emerging drugs and chemicals before at the borders protecting public health and safety is critical to the region," said Mr. Aleksander Piecyk, INCB Regional Technical Officer for the GRIDS Programme in East Asia/ Pacific, who delivered several sessions during the training.
GRIDS-led sessions covered in-depth identification of emerging and dangerous NPS, online investigation techniques, open-source intelligence and operational security fundamentals, equipping participants with the skills to safely conduct digital investigations into online trafficking networks. Officers were also introduced to INCB's monitoring tools, including the IONICS Suite, the global communication platform for real-time information exchange on seizures involving NPS and other dangerous substances of concern; GRIDS Intelligence HD, a visualization and analytical tool that supports the assessment of global trends in dangerous substances; and the Scanning Novel Opioids Online Platform (SNOOP), which monitors online vendors of fentanyl-related and other emerging substances. Trainers also led dedicated, practical science-based training on their appropriate use of INCB supplied personal protective equipment (PPE) and rapid drug test kits that can detect even trace amounts of the most commonly trafficked synthetic opioids,
The participation of INCB reflects the organization's ongoing commitment to strengthening national and regional capacity to prevent and respond to the trafficking of dangerous substances. Through the GRIDS Programme, INCB continues to support authorities worldwide in enhancing real-time information exchange, inter-agency cooperation, and targeted interdiction operations.
The Board's Global Rapid Interdiction of Dangerous Substances (GRIDS) Programme and Project ION and OPIOIDS Project operate under the International Narcotics Control Board's unique Article 35 (1961) treaty mandate that supports Governments' capabilities to exchange information on trafficking, illicit manufacture, marketing and sales of NPS, synthetic opioids, fentanyls and related chemicals, by providing real-time communication, and capabilities to facilitate information exchange and intelligence development with the aim to interdict distribution of dangerous substances.
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
