GRIDS Programme in Coordination with national and international partners Strengthens
Border Interdiction and Targeting Capabilities along the Mekong
Khon Kaen, Thailand, 27 February 2026
Photo 1: Mr. Marc Laing from the DEA Bangkok Country Office, briefs participants in Khon Kaen on the latest intelligence relating to illicit trafficking and manufacturing of dangerous substances in the Mekong.
The International Narcotics Control Board’s (INCB) Global Rapid Interdiction of Dangerous Substances (GRIDS) Programme, in coordination the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Thai Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), the Royal Thai Police Narcotics Suppression Board (RTP NSB) and Thailand Customs Department conducted a set of back to back trainings to build capabilities of frontline officers to target and interdict dangerous substances, related chemicals and equipment in Thailand’s northern border region.
The trainings focused on using advanced intelligence tools and technology to disrupt synthetic drug trafficking routes used by regional drug trafficking organizations, moving synthetic drugs, related chemicals and other dangerous substances into Thailand and beyond the Mekong Subregion. As a direct follow-up to three-city briefings conducted in September 2025 in Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, and Nakhon Phanom, this two-city, full-fledged training was designed to build on the initial exchange of intelligence and regional trends, by giving frontline and intelligence officers access to INCB’s suite of intelligence-led tools, build capabilities in online monitoring, and open-source intelligence by incorporating, practical, hands-on exercises using real cases and allowing officers to develop real-life actionable intelligence they can continue to action after the conclusion of the training.
Photo 2: Participants practice utilizing SNOOP to identify and investigate suspicious online vendors targeting Thailand
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 Mekong region. Practical modules highlighted how law enforcement agencies can detect trafficking activities, identify suspicious consignments, and prevent diversion through the use of INCB tools.
Officers were introduced to the IONICS secure communication platform and received operational access, to the entire suite of INCB’s intelligence-driven tools. These tools enable frontline officers to identify and track emerging drug threats and to strengthen cross-border intelligence sharing in real time – something of particular importance in the Mekong region.
Photo 3: Officers take part in the hands-on practical exercise where they investigate real cases using practical skills and tools developed during the training.
The trainings 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. These platforms are being actively used to track criminal networks selling substances that pose threats to Thailand and the region more broadly. The trainings 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. During the training, officers worked together to develop an IONICS communication package involving over 8 kgs of synthetic opioids being trafficked to the United States, this package will be sent to all relevant authorities for further action and investigation.
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 event was made possible through generous support from the United States Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (U.S. 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
