Vienna, 3 October 2025
The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) and the Universal Postal Union (UPU) hosted the 8th annual international operational expert meeting, referred to as POSTAL8, aimed at strengthening global efforts to stop the trafficking of dangerous synthetic drugs, opioids, and chemicals via postal, express courier, and air cargo services. The gathering convened over 100 officers, representing 46 governments, experts, industry leaders, and representatives from international organizations, including INTERPOL, the Universal Postal Union (UPU), and the World Customs Organization (WCO).
In her opening address, Prof. Sevil Atasoy, President of the International Narcotics Control Board, emphasized the critical need for sustained international cooperation across borders and sectors, and underscored the cruciality of public-private partnerships, intelligence sharing, and innovative tools like IONICS, which has now enabled the exchange of more than 120,000 incident reports globally.
Alongside INCB, UPU reaffirmed its long-term commitment to partnerships safeguarding global mail channels. In his opening remarks, Mark Heath, UPU Postal Operations and Security Expert, stressed the importance of collaboration, highlighting ongoing pilot testing of the Dangerous Goods Search Tool, which provides a proactive solution to stop postal system misuse by traffickers. He underscored UPU's commitment to working closely with INCB and other global partners in order to mitigate threats and secure supply chains that underpin global commerce and communications.
Mr. Howard Solomon, Chargé d'Affaires ad interim, Permanent Mission of the United States of America to the United Nations (Vienna) thanked the participants for their engagement and emphasized the need for collective commitment to strengthen cooperation across government agencies and private sector partners in order to combat the trafficking of synthetic drugs, new psychoactive substances, opioids, and related chemicals via postal, courier, and air cargo channels. His address highlighted how successful outcomes could be achieved by sharing intelligence, adopting technological and operational best practices, and working together to protect supply chains and communities worldwide.
The Board's Global Rapid Interdiction of Dangerous Substances (GRIDS) Programme operates 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.
This GRIDS Programme event was made possible through generous support from the Government of the United States Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement.
