India to host two-day BRICS anti-drug agencies meet in Guwahati from June 6

New Delhi: India will host a two-day BRICS Heads of Anti-Drug Agencies Meeting in Guwahati from June 6 to enhance intelligence sharing, and operational and institutional cooperation to combat narcotics trafficking, the government said on Sunday.

Hosted by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) under the Union Home Ministry, the meeting will bring together heads of anti-drug agencies and senior officials from BRICS countries, according to an official statement.

The meeting assumes significant 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, it 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," the statement said.

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

The meeting will focus on three key priority areas -- combating synthetic drugs and precursor diversion, strengthening intelligence sharing and operational coordination, and 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, joint training programmes and expert exchanges through the meeting.

"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 focus on 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.

The meeting will culminate with the adoption of a Joint Declaration, the statement said.

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