INCB convenes customs experts to strengthen use of data and electronic tools against
illicit drug manufacture
VIENNA, 7 September 2026 – Customs authorities play a critical role in preventing the diversion of precursor chemicals used in the illicit manufacture of drugs. By identifying red flags in international shipments, they can help detect suspicious trade while facilitating legitimate commerce. To strengthen these efforts and exchange best practices, INCB convened an expert group meeting on 2-3 September 2026, bringing together customs experts from nine countries and the European Commission.
With more than
30,000 international shipments of controlled precursor chemicals taking place each year, only a fraction of which are diverted into illicit drug manufacture, specialized electronic tools, such as those offered by INCB, can help identify suspicious shipments while facilitating legitimate trade. Against this backdrop, the discussion covered mechanisms for transmitting information received by the competent national authorities through the INCB licit trade monitoring platforms (PEN Online and PEN Online Light) to the corresponding customs agencies (and vice versa). Participants also discussed and exchanged various practices for customs agencies’ enforcement of regulatory controls related to precursors, as well as cooperation between regulatory and customs authorities in general.
Furthermore, participants exchanged views on how customs authorities and customs data can be better integrated into precursor control and how INCB tools and resources could be better incorporated in customs work, including for customs risk profiling to address contemporary challenges to precursor control, especially non-scheduled chemicals. Participants agreed that the INCB tools and resources, such as annual legitimate requirements (
ALRs), the limited international special surveillance list of non-scheduled chemicals (ISSL), the compendium of national control measures, the Precursors Incident Communication System (
PICS),
PEN Online, as well as
PEN Online Light, were very useful for risk analysis and targeting by customs authorities.
The discussions also contributed to the implementation of Commission on Narcotic Drugs resolutions 69/1, 69/2 and 69/3, which aim to strengthen supply-chain security and enhance international cooperation in precursor control.
The Board will encourage Governments to adopt on a voluntary basis some of the good practices identified during the expert group meeting.
Caption: Twenty-one officers from Brazil, Chile, China, India, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Türkiye, Ukraine, the United Republic of Tanzania, the United States of America and the European Commission Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union (DG TAXUD) attended the expert group meeting.
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