New Delhi, July 5 (IANS) India is set to host the BRICS Heads of Anti-Drug Agencies Meeting in Assam’s Guwahati on July 6-7. The discussion will focus on three key priority areas, including combating synthetic drugs and precursor diversion, strengthening intelligence sharing and operational coordination, and capacity building and institutional cooperation.

The meeting, hosted by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) of the Ministry of Home Affairs, will bring together the Heads of Anti-Drug Agencies and senior officials from BRICS member countries to strengthen institutional continuity and foster deeper operational cooperation among the grouping’s drug control agencies, according to the statement released by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

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

These sessions will focus on leveraging digital technology for real-time drug interdiction, neutralising drug trafficking over darknet, tackling emerging new psychoactive substances (NPS), reinforcing global supply chains against precursor diversion and chemical leakage, special initiatives for drug demand reduction and related measures and strengthening institutional mechanisms.

The meeting will culminate with the adoption of a joint declaration.

“The global drug trafficking landscape has evolved significantly, with the proliferation of synthetic drugs, New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), darknet-enabled trafficking and cryptocurrency-based financial flows posing complex transnational challenges. 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 Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement.

“India envisions this 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 added.

The meeting offers India 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. In the past few years, India has significantly strengthened its fight against drug trafficking and substance abuse.

The Indian government has been taking stringent action against illicit drug trafficking and the organised criminal networks. In addition, it has been placing equal emphasis on awareness generation, community participation and treatment for those affected by addiction, according to the statement.

While adopting a whole-of-government and network-centric approach, India has recently released the Vision Document on Narcotics Control (2026–2029) to further strengthen institutional capacity in the fight against drugs.

“As chair, New Delhi 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,” the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement.

India’s BRICS Chairship is guided by the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, reflecting a people-centric and humanity-first approach articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 2025 Rio Summit.

BRICS comprises 11 major emerging markets and developing countries of the world – Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, United Arab Emirates. It is a useful platform for discussing and cooperating on contemporary issues having global as well as regional importance, and issues of global political and economic governance.

–IANS

akl/sd/