Bangkok, Thailand 5 December 2025
Photo 1: Participants from 6 countries in Southeast Asia were trained on INCB’s SNOOP platform to target dangerous synthetic opioids and related chemicals being sold online
The International Narcotics Control Board’s (INCB) Global Rapid Interdiction of Dangerous Substances (GRIDS) Programme, in partnership with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), supported a five-day Emerging Illicit Synthetic Drug Trends Course at the US International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Bangkok, Thailand. The multi-agency training included 26 officers from Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Timor-Leste, representing law enforcement, customs, and national drug control agencies.
Aleksander Piecyk, Regional Technical Officer for East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific, provided an overview of the latest trends in the trafficking of dangerous and emerging synthetic drugs in the region. Practical modules highlighted how law enforcement agencies can detect trafficking activities, identify suspicious consignments, and prevent diversion through the use of INCB tools.
Participants were introduced to the IONICS Suite, which offers governments real-time secure communications and intelligence development capabilities, alongside access to and hands-on training in GRIDS Intelligence, SNOOP, and open-source intelligence (OSINT) methodologies. Together, these tools enable frontline agencies to identify and track emerging drug threats and to strengthen cross-border intelligence sharing in real time.
The workshop highlighted the Scanning of Novel Opioids on Online Platforms (SNOOP) tool, which leverages AI and machine learning to monitor suspicious online vendors and marketplaces that misuse global e-commerce platforms to distribute synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, its analogues, and related precursors and equipment.
Photo 2: Officers take part in the hands-on practical exercise using various OSINT tools and techniques to track the sales of dangerous substances online.
On the second day of the training, participants were briefed on the fundamental concepts of cryptocurrency, and analysing crypto transactions to identify suspicious vendors and counter the trafficking of synthetic drugs online. Officers were able to use open-source tools to trace transactions in real time. The training also included a comprehensive overview of Operational Security (OPSEC) fundamentals that investigators should apply when conducting online investigations, to safeguard both themselves and their organizations. Finally, officers were shown the beta version of the SNOOP3 tool, or SNOOP for public-private partners which provides trusted industry partners with the ability to monitor their own services and platforms for exploitation by drug and chemical traffickers.
The Global Rapid Interdiction of Dangerous Substances (GRIDS) Programme and Project ION and OPIOIDS Project operates under the INCB’s Article 35 mandate of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, supporting governments’ capacity to exchange real-time information on trafficking, illicit manufacture, marketing, and sales of NPS, synthetic opioids, fentanyls, and related chemicals, with the aim of disrupting and interdicting the 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
