Guwahati hosts BRICS meet amid rising synthetic drug threat

New Delhi: India will host the two-day BRICS Anti-Drug Agencies Meeting in Guwahati from July 6-7 to enhance intelligence sharing and strengthen operational and institutional cooperation in combating narcotics trafficking, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) said on Sunday.

The meeting will bring together heads of anti-drug agencies and senior officials from BRICS countries, according to an official statement.

The meeting assumes significance amid major changes in the global drug trafficking landscape, with the proliferation of synthetic drugs, new psychoactive substances (NPS), darknet-enabled trafficking, and cryptocurrency-based financial flows posing complex transnational challenges, the statement said.


At the same time, advances in interdiction technologies, data analytics, and financial intelligence present significant opportunities for enhanced international cooperation and coordinated enforcement action, it added.

India envisions the meeting as a pivotal step in transforming BRICS cooperation from dialogue-centric engagement to structured, action-oriented collaboration, with a focus on strengthening operational coordination, intelligence sharing, capacity building, and collective responses to emerging drug-related threats.

The meeting will focus on three key priority areas: combating synthetic drugs and precursor diversion, strengthening intelligence sharing and operational coordination, and enhancing capacity building and institutional cooperation.

"The meeting will provide India with an opportunity to showcase its decisive efforts to combat the drug menace, as the abuse of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances poses a serious threat to public safety and health, and the future of the nation's youth," the statement said.

India will seek to strengthen cooperation through information sharing on clandestine laboratories and emerging synthetic drug trends, enhanced monitoring of precursor chemicals and pharmaceuticals, intelligence exchange, sharing of best practices, and joint training programmes and expert exchanges.

"During the two-day meeting, the member nations will deliberate on the drug situation in their respective countries and participate in six thematic sessions based on pressing and emerging global challenges," it said.

The sessions will cover leveraging digital technology for real-time drug interdiction, countering darknet-based drug trafficking, tackling emerging NPS, reinforcing global supply chains against precursor diversion and chemical leakage, drug demand reduction initiatives, and strengthening institutional mechanisms.

BRICS brings together 11 major emerging economies - Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates.