Russia may train India's anti-narcotics sleuths

MOSCOW: Indian anti-narcotics officials may be trained by specialists of Russia's federal drug control service FSKN, according to a media report here today.


"We are prepared to consider various options," FSKN Chief Viktor Ivanov was quoted as saying by Russian news agency Itar-Tass.

The training arrangements can either be done in India or in Russia, the FSKN chief said after a meeting with Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde here yesterday.

"It is important to establish coordination and day-to-day interaction with Russia in fighting with drug trafficking and possibilities for instruction," Shinde said during the meeting.

India was interested in wider cooperation with Russia on a wide range of issues including control of transit of drugs from Afghanistan, methods of controlling narcotic drugs' circulation in India and to improve intelligence gathering, he said.

Shinde is on a three-day visit to Russia. India has two anti-narcotics agencies at the central level namely the Narcotics Control Bureau and Central Bureau of Narcotics, besides special units in various state police departments to tackle the illegal drugs menace.