Bangkok, Thailand, 24 April 2026
The Global Rapid Interdiction of Dangerous Substances (GRIDS) Programme in Southeast Asia contributed to the delivery of a regional Chemical Diversions Investigations Course held in Bangkok, Thailand. The course was organized by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Arms Control and Nonproliferation, Office of Cooperative Threat Reduction, in partnership with the United States Department of Defense’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) under its Cooperative Threat Reduction Program. The workshop aimed to strengthen national and regional capacities to identify, investigate, and prevent the illegal diversion of controlled chemical substances.
The course brought together sixty (60) participants from five countries across Southeast Asia – Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Participants included representatives from law enforcement, customs, regulatory, and other agencies involved in chemical security and nonproliferation, reflecting the multidisciplinary approach required to address the risks associated with chemical diversion.
The GRIDS Project Officer briefing participants on the GRIDS Programme
The workshop covered key areas including chemical threat awareness, characteristics of chemical weapons and their precursors, methods of diversion, investigative techniques, and operational response measures. Sessions also addressed suspicious procurement patterns, the misuse of front companies, and the role of cyber-enabled transactions in facilitating illicit chemical supply chains. Through a combination of classroom instruction and scenario-based discussions, participants strengthened their understanding of the evolving threat landscape and the tools required to respond effectively.
As part of the programme, the GRIDS Project Officer delivered a session highlighting emerging trends in the diversion of precursors, particularly those associated with the illicit manufacture of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues. The session also introduced the use of INCB GRIDS tools, including IONICS, GRIDS Intelligence HD, and Scanning Novel Opioids Online Platform (SNOOP), emphasizing intelligence-led analysis and information-sharing to identify suspicious activities and networks, and the role of digital tools in detecting emerging threats and supporting enforcement actions against illicit actors involved in the trafficking and distribution of these substances.
This initiative directly supports regional efforts to strengthen national and regional capabilities to identify, investigate, and prevent the illegal diversion of controlled chemical substances. By enhancing investigative techniques and promoting interagency coordination and regional cooperation, the workshop reinforced the importance of information-sharing and joint responses across borders. The GRIDS Programme welcomed the opportunity to contribute to these U.S.-led efforts, highlighting the role of intelligence-led approaches and digital tools in supporting enforcement actions against illicit actors involved in the diversion of precursors, particularly those linked to new psychoactive substances (NPS) and non-medical synthetic opioids, in Southeast Asia and beyond.
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.
These events were made possible by the generous support from the United States Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL).
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