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INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL BOARD
Report 2023
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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Natural disasters and emergencies related to climate change and conflict
resulted in acute humanitarian needs for medicines containing inter-
nationally controlled substances in 2023. The International Narcotics
Control Board (INCB) has been urging Governments to ensure unim-
peded international availability of these medicines, through the use of
simplied control procedures in such situations.
The INCB 2023 annual report presents an analysis of the global avail-
ability of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances for medical and
scientic purposes, showing persistent regional disparities in the con-
sumption of opioid analgesics for pain treatment. This is due in part to
countries not accurately estimating their medical requirements for these
substances, many of which are essential medicines. Levels of consumption of aordable morphine in
regions other than Europe and North America are insucient to address medical needs. INCB is sup-
porting Member States in improving their estimates and thus improving the availability of controlled
substances for medical, scientic and industrial purposes through the INCB Learning programme.
Regarding illicit drug supply, illicit opium poppy cultivation and heroin production in Afghanistan
declined dramatically. Alternative livelihoods need to be secured as aected farmers may not have other
sources of income. Developments in global illicit markets will need to be closely followed, particularly
the grave health threat posed by potential substitution of heroin with highly potent synthetic opioids.
INCB has been focusing on tackling tracking in synthetic drugs and their precursors. To address this
global threat to public health, INCB has rolled out new initiatives within the INCB precursor control
and Global Rapid Interdiction of Dangerous Substances (GRIDS) programmes. These are aimed at
preventing chemicals and equipment being diverted for illicit drug manufacture, and at supporting
public-private partnerships to prevent the chemical industry and Internet-based and postal/courier
services being exploited for tracking in new psychoactive substances and non-medical synthetic
opioids. Further details on recent trends and initiatives concerning precursor chemicals are contained
in the 2023 Precursors Report.
The thematic chapter of the 2023 Annual Report explores the role of the Internet, including social
media, in drug tracking and use. It highlights diculties faced in addressing online drug track-
ing due to encryption technologies and jurisdictional issues, as well as exploitation of legitimate
e-commerce platforms. INCB is concerned about the increasing use of social media platforms to market
drugs, including to children, and at the same time draws attention to the opportunities oered by
social media and the Internet for prevention, awareness-raising and improving access to treatment
services. Recommended action for Governments includes engagement with the private sector and INCB
operational activities, which are enabling authorities worldwide to share information in real time to
prevent highly potent substances from reaching the public.
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Safeguarding health and welfare is the overarching concern of the international drug control treaties.
The report reviews the functioning of the international drug control system, including INCB support to
Member States to improve treaty implementation and promote health and well-being.
INCB resumed its country missions in the past year, and the Board was pleased to work with the Govern-
ments of Canada, Cyprus, Kyrgyzstan, the United States and Uruguay, and to meet with representatives
of civil society in those countries. INCB looks forward to continuing this dialogue with Member States,
including during the Commission on Narcotic Drugs midterm review of implementation of drug policy
commitments, to be conducted in March 2024, and in progressing the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs).
With 2023 being the midpoint to implement the Goals and the 2030 Agenda, insucient progress
has been made towards SDG 3 on health and well-being. INCB urges Governments and international
and regional organizations to implement the recommendations set out in the 2023 annual report. It
encourages civil society organizations to integrate these recommendations in their work. Every person
has the right to the highest attainable standard of health. To make the health and well-being of all a
reality, Governments, supported by the international community and civil society, need to translate
their political will and policy commitments into concrete action.
Jallal Touq
President
International Narcotics Control Board
Report 2023
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THE INTERNET POSES CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR
DRUG CONTROL, PREVENTION AND TREATMENT, SAYS THE
INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL BOARD
The international community faces both challenges and opportunities for drug control, prevention and
treatment in the era of the Internet, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) says in its 2023
Annual Report. The evolving landscape of online drug tracking presents new challenges. Yet there
are also opportunities to use online platforms to prevent non-medical use of drugs, raise awareness
about the harms of drug use and support public health initiatives.
The Internet and especially social media have increased the availability of drugs on the illicit market,
and criminal groups are exploiting online platforms for drug tracking. The online presence of fentanyl
and synthetic opioids raises serious concerns due to their high potency and the risk of overdose deaths.
Law enforcement authorities face a daunting task monitoring and prosecuting online drug activities
due to encryption technologies and innovations. Oenders also exploit loopholes and dierences in
national regulations.
INCB is at the forefront of eorts to foster cooperation between Governments and online industries to
deal with the misuse of legitimate e-commerce platforms for drug tracking.
Training and information provided by INCB initiatives such as the GRIDS Programme, IONICS and
Precursors Incident Communication System (PICS) on suspicious Internet posts have resulted in
seizures of drugs and precursors and the dismantling of criminal networks.
Drug control treaties still relevant in the Internet age
Two of the three drug control treaties were adopted before the advent of the Internet and the third
before major changes in information and communication technologies became global in reach. The
Internet provides opportunities to support the aims of the conventions but also to undermine them.
As early as 2000, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs adopted a resolution on the misuse of the World
Wide Web by the illicit drug trade. In 2009 INCB published guidelines for Governments on preventing
the illegal sale of internationally controlled substances through the Internet.
The role of the Internet in drug tracking and in the sourcing of precursor chemicals and equipment
for illicit drug manufacture has not yet dramatically changed drug supply chains but it is evolving
and could expand further in the future. International cooperation is vital to tackle this growing trend.
Opportunities oered by the Internet to prevent non-medical drug use
Telemedicine and Internet pharmacies illustrate the duality of challenges and opportunities. They
both hold great potential for improving access to health care but simultaneously enable illegitimate
actors to hide among legitimate providers.
Telemedicine, a fast-growing way of delivering health care, can help reach patients with drug use
disorders and there is great potential for the online delivery of drug treatment services.
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Online discussion forums on drug-related topics are used by people to share tips and dosing advice.
While this knowledge-sharing can strengthen eorts to reduce the adverse consequences of drug use,
it is unlikely to reach the most vulnerable people who use drugs.
Drug checking services, which analyse samples, can communicate warnings using the Internet, reaching
more people, when drugs are found to be adulterated with dangerous substances or have unusually
high potency. This information can save lives.
However, instructions on how to manufacture drugs can also be shared online. People have posted
how to extract precursors for methamphetamine production from processed products that are legal
to acquire.
Challenges to drug control posed by the Internet
Drug trackers can reach a large global audience by exploiting social media and other online platforms
to advertise their products. The sheer scale of communications on these platforms makes it exceed-
ingly dicult for regulatory authorities to monitor, even if the communication leaves digital traces.
It is complicated to take legal action and prosecute tracking oences conducted online. Oenders
can move their activities to territories with less intensive law enforcement action and lighter criminal
sanctions or base themselves in countries where they can evade extradition.
Law enforcement agencies have successfully applied novel investigative measures such as setting up
fake online advertisements for precursors or non-scheduled chemicals and the use of sting operations
to gather information on both prospective buyers and sellers of related chemicals.
Organized criminal groups in Europe have exploited Internet-based technologies to trac drugs,
using modied smartphones, “cryptophones” with enhanced encryption methods. They believed
they were communicating condentially, but law enforcement authorities managed to decrypt their
conversations and arrested several high-value targets beginning in 2021. In France alone, the National
Gendarmerie collected over 120 million text messages from 60,000 mobile phones, with data tracing
back to more than 100 countries.
Cryptomarkets
Cryptomarkets are online darknet marketplaces located on the Deep Web which allow people to browse
the Internet anonymously and use encryption to mask emails and cryptocurrencies for payment. In
2021 the United Nations Oce on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) suggested that the total value of the drug
trade on cryptomarkets was around 315 million USD annually.
Buyers have reported that they use these markets because they provide access to drugs with a more
predictable quality. Both buyers and sellers perceive the transactions as less risky than street-level
exchanges in terms of rip-os, physical violence and threats. Cryptomarkets mostly serve national
markets and buyers can pick up the drugs without ever meeting the seller.
Despite several highly publicized arrests of administrators of cryptomarkets, they have proved resilient,
albeit volatile.
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Increased local availability through social media
Various conventional social media platforms are being used as local marketplaces by small-time dealers
for selling illicit drugs and uncontrolled substances. But it is not known exactly how widespread this
is, or in which countries it occurs most. What is clear is that this inappropriate content promoting drug
use is widely accessible to children and adolescents.
The process of using social media to procure drugs can start with the buyers searching drug-related
hashtags or following proles that advertise drug sales. Using messaging apps with end-to-end encryp-
tion and temporary message capabilities, where the communication is deleted aer a period, or virtual
private networks, sellers can connect quickly and easily with local buyers and sometimes even oer
home delivery of the illicit drugs.
This increasingly localized distribution in combination with rapid availability may prove to be more
transformative in the longer run than other Internet-driven illicit drug supply models.
Legitimate e-commerce platforms
In the last few years, INCB global projects have promoted voluntary cooperation between Governments
and e-commerce companies to prevent the misuse of their services for the illicit marketing of precur-
sors, new psychoactive substances and non-medical synthetic opioids. These projects monitor the
posting of oers by suspicious vendors and purchase requests by potential buyers on major legitimate
e-commerce marketplaces.
By supporting Government cooperation with private sector representatives, the INCB GRIDS programme
has created two sets of guiding documents with practical recommendations and easy-to-follow check-
lists to prevent the online targeting of the most vulnerable industries for tracking in dangerous
substances. The manufacturing, marketing, movement and monetization (4M) industries along with
Internet-related services are considered vulnerable to such exploitation.
Practical results include arrests and seizures of high-dosage tramadol and ketamine hydrochloride
oered for sale on a major e-commerce platform in a country in Africa. In Latin America multiple
suspicious listings of a non-scheduled plant-based substance, kratom, were identied by a major
e-commerce company, which led to the identication and arrest of the online seller. Such investiga-
tions are resource-intensive and in many cases, the contacted platforms simply delete such listings,
usually within 24 hours.
Internet pharmacies
Prescription drugs are a commonly searched health topic on the Internet and the global trade in illicit
pharmaceuticals is estimated to be worth 4.4 billion USD. A further simple online search for pharmacy,
‘pharma’ or ‘pharm’ can lead to Internet pharmacy websites advertising drugs for sale. Such sites,
which are mostly illegal, oer to sell substances that require prescriptions as well as illicit drugs.
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Illicit Internet pharmacies threaten global patient safety by selling drugs of unconrmed origins without
a prescription directly to the consumer. Recent studies indicate two thirds of countries worldwide do
not have laws that explicitly regulate Internet sales of medicinal products.
There is nothing to ensure the quality of products purchased online. It is impossible for consumers
to assess whether drugs purchased from Internet pharmacies are counterfeit, unapproved or even
illegal. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that half of medicines purchased from illegal
sites are counterfeit.
Recommendations
The Board encourages Governments to use the full range of INCB tools and programmes to assist in
their eorts to counter Internet-related illicit drug tracking. To prevent substance misuse among
young people in particular, the Board suggests that Governments conduct drug misuse prevention
campaigns, using social media.
The global nature of online drug distribution makes collaborative eorts increasingly important for
identifying new threats and developing eective responses. The Board calls for increased coopera-
tion between international organizations, national Governments, regulatory authorities and private
companies working in the relevant sectors to meet these evolving challenges.
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INCB DATA CONFIRM PERSISTENT INEQUITIES IN USE OF
OPIOIDBASED MEDICINES FOR PAIN TREATMENT
Data reported to INCB conrm the persistent disparities between regions in the consumption of the main
opioid analgesics for pain treatment (codeine, dextropropoxyphene, dihydrocodeine, fentanyl, hydroco-
done, hydromorphone, ketobemidone, morphine, oxycodone, pethidine, tilidine and trimeperidine).
Almost all such consumption is concentrated in Western Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand.
Consumption levels in other regions are oen insucient to meet the medical needs of the population.
Regional imbalances not a result of shortages of raw materials
These regional imbalances are not due to a shortage of opiate raw materials. Supply is more than sucient
to satisfy the demand reported to INCB by Governments, but INCB nds that the estimated requirements
of a large number of countries may not accurately reflect the actual medical needs of their populations.
For comparison purposes, INCB uses an indicator, regional S-DDD
pm
, calculated on the basis of the total
population of the countries reporting consumption and the overall amounts of opioid analgesics reported
as consumed. In 2022, the reported consumption in some countries in North America, Oceania and Western
and Central Europe resulted in regional averages of 15,467 S-DDD
pm
for North America, 9,720 S-DDD
pm
for
Western and Central Europe and 5,327 S-DDD
pm
for Oceania. North America remains the region with the
highest consumption of opioids for pain management in the world. In comparison, average consumption
levels in East and South-East Asia, Central America and the Caribbean, Africa and South Asia were less
than 220 S-DDD
pm
.
Inadequate levels of consumption of opioid analgesics in East and South-East
Asia, Central America and the Caribbean, Africa and South Asia
INCB considers levels of consumption of opioid analgesics in quantities between 100 and 200 S-DDD
pm
to
be inadequate, and in quantities of less than 100 S-DDD
pm
to be very inadequate. In this context, the aver-
age levels of consumption reported in 2022 in East and South-East Asia (217 S-DDD
pm
), Central America and
the Caribbean (170 S-DDD
pm
), Africa (62 S-DDD
pm
) and South Asia (16 S-DDD
pm
) are of particular concern.
INCB stresses that there is an urgent need to increase the availability of and access to opioid analgesics and
to improve their prescription and use, especially in countries reporting inadequate and very inadequate
levels of consumption. INCB calls for targeted public policies supported by Governments, health systems
and health professionals, civil society, the pharmaceutical industry and the international community.
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Consumption of codeine,
a
fentanyl, hydrocodone, morphine, oxycodone,
pethidine and other opioids, all regions, expressed in S-DDD
pm
, 2022
0 10 000 15 0005 000
20 000
S-DDD
pm
Hydrocodone
Others
Codeine
Fentanyl
MorphineOxycodone
Pethidine
South Asia
South-Eastern Europe
West Asia
Western and Central Europe
South America
Oceania
North America
Eastern Europe
East and South-East Asia
Central America and the Caribbean
Africa
a
Only codeine used directly for pain relief is considered. Codeine used for preparations included in Schedule III is excluded.
Limited data on consumption of psychotropic substances hinder the ability
to assess availability of medicines containing these substances
There are limited data available on the consumption of internationally controlled psychotropic sub-
stances, used in the treatment of mental health and neurological conditions. This makes it dicult to
determine the levels of availability in some regions of the world. Where data are available, levels of
consumption have fluctuated among countries and for dierent substances. For example, reported
consumption of methylphenidate increased in 2022 in a number of countries. In contrast, the reported
consumption of diazepam and phenobarbital decreased, with fewer countries providing data in 2022.
Reported consumption of zolpidem is highest in Europe in 2022, although there are notable spikes in
consumption in some countries in South America.
In terms of manufacture, as has been the case for several years, 10 psychotropic substances accounted
for 80 per cent of all global manufacture of internationally controlled psychotropic substances by gross
weight in 2022. Phenobarbital alone accounted for approximately 35 per cent of all global manufacture,
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at 364 tons. Of the 1,049.3 tons of internationally controlled psychotropic substances manufactured in
2022, 863.8 tons were sedatives, 160.3 tons were stimulants, and 25.2 tons comprised hallucinogens,
analgesics and other substances.
Shares of manufacture of major internationally controlled psychotropic substances
by gross weight, 2022
Methylphenidate
Meprobamate
Phenobarbital
Other substances
Pentobarbital
Zolpidem
GHB
Phentermine
Dexamfetamine
Barbital
Diazepam
Overall trade in internationally controlled psychotropic substances in 2022 remained at levels similar
to previous years, with diazepam, midazolam, phenobarbital, alprazolam and clonazepam being the
most widely traded substances, with more than 135 countries and territories reporting imports. How-
ever, this information is insucient to determine whether the quantities traded are sucient to meet
the actual medical needs in these countries.
INCB stresses the need to improve consumption data for psychotropic substances and calls upon
Governments to take the necessary steps to enable their respective drug control authorities to collect
and provide these data. These data are essential for INCB and the international community to better
understand the levels of availability of key psychotropic substances including phenobarbital, diazepam
and midazolam in all regions of the world.
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PRECURSORS REPORT
Two series of closely related chemicals recommended for international control
INCB assessed and recommended the international control of 16 amphetamine-type stimulant precur-
sors representing two groups of closely related chemicals. Putting into practice resolution 65/3 of
the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the rst-of-its-kind scheduling proposal aims to prevent illicit
drug manufacturers from replacing certain controlled chemicals with closely related substitutes.
The Report on Precursors for 2023 includes some of the data that the INCB gathered before deciding
to recommend these two groups of substances for scheduling. Sources for these data included an
international intelligence-gathering exercise codenamed “Operation Backup”, as well as legislative
examples from countries that are already controlling closely related substances at the national level.
Fentanyl precursors: developments in international control and seizure trends
Following a request made by the United States, the Board also assessed and decided to recommend
the international control of two fentanyl precursors, 4-piperidone and 1-boc-4-piperidone. The report
also analyses the latest available data on the international seizures of fentanyl precursors, reflecting
a surge of non-controlled fentanyl precursors in North America in 2023.
In March 2024, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs will vote on placing all 18 substances
(16amphetamine- type precursors and 2 fentanyl precursors) under international control, through
placement in Table I of the 1988 Convention.
Measures against diversion of chemicals and equipment
An increasingly broad range of industries need to be sensitized against the possibility of being targeted
by trackers for the diversion of chemicals and equipment that could be used in the illicit manufacture
of drugs. INCB is therefore encouraging Governments to analyse their national industry landscapes
to enhance knowledge about relevant industries. In its Precursors Report, INCB further recommends
that national authorities use PEN Online Light, a platform that enables the voluntary exchange of
information on the export of non-scheduled chemicals.
Conflict zones, free-trade zones, and political changes
This year’s report presents examples of challenges in precursor control due to political developments
or the status of various countries and territories around the world. For instance, it describes data
gaps on methamphetamine precursors in Afghanistan, as well as the lack of audits and inspections in
certain free-trade zones. In the report, INCB recommends several actions to address these challenges.
Cocaine extraction continues to be reported outside South America
Notable seizures of cocaine precursors outside South America reflect the existence of extraction
laboratories of signicant scale in Europe, and a trend towards greater sophistication and process
optimization.
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REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
Africa
Availability of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances for medical use in Africa remains a concern.
INCB reiterates the importance of improving the availability of and access to internationally scheduled
substances for medical purposes.
The role of Africa, in particular West and Central Africa, as a transit region for cocaine has expanded
signicantly. Seizures reached an all-time high in 2021.
Tracking in and misuse of tramadol are a growing concern in some African countries. Tramadol is a
synthetic opioid not under international control.
Governments in Africa are making progress in addressing substance use disorders. Assessing the
extent of drug misuse and accurately estimating the number of people receiving treatment on the
continent remains a challenge.
Americas
Central America and the Caribbean
The Central America and Caribbean region suers from a high level of armed violence and insecurity. This
is oen linked to the activities of drug cartels and street gangs and violent competition between them.
Development of evidence-based drug control policies may be hampered by the lack of recent surveys
on the extent of drug use in most countries in Central America and the Caribbean. In addition, national
drug control plans in a number of countries in the region may no longer be up to date.
Countries in Central America and the Caribbean are increasingly being used for cocaine tracking
to Europe. Drug tracking is increasingly linked to tracking in rearms and represents a major
challenge to stability and security in the region.
North America
The opioid crisis continued to have serious consequences in North America. An increasing number of
opioid-related deaths involved illicitly manufactured fentanyl, oen mixed with other synthetic drugs.
The United States launched the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats. The initiative is
aimed at preventing illicit manufacture and tracking of synthetic drugs, at detecting emerging drug
trends and drug use patterns, and responding to public health impacts.
Mexico continues to experience high levels of violence, particularly homicides. This is mostly a result
of illicit drug-related activity of cartels and criminal gangs.
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South America
Drug tracking organizations continue to expand their operations in the Amazon Basin into illegal
mining, illegal logging and wildlife tracking. These activities pose a life-threatening risk to Indig-
enous populations and have been linked to bribery, extortion, fraud and money-laundering, as well
as homicide, violent assault, sexual violence and forced labour in the Amazon.
Record levels of illicit coca bush cultivation were recorded in Colombia and Peru. The area under
cultivation in Colombia rose by 13 per cent to a second consecutive record high of 230,000 hectares. A
record area of 95,008 hectares of illicit coca bush cultivation was reported in Peru for 2022, represent-
ing an 18 per cent increase compared with 2021; this took place most notably in the Peruvian Amazon.
The area under illicit coca bush cultivation in the Plurinational State of Bolivia decreased by 2 per
cent, from 30,500 hectares in 2021 to 29,900 hectares in 2022. Sixty-one per cent of the area cultivated
was in the Los Yungas de La Paz.
The Plurinational State of Bolivia requested a review of the control status of coca leaf. The United
Nations Secretary-General received a request from the Plurinational State of Bolivia to activate the
process for a critical review of the current classication of coca leaf as a narcotic drug in Schedule I of
the 1961 Convention as amended.
Asia
East and South-East Asia
Illicit opium poppy cultivation and methamphetamine manufacture are among the most signicant
drug challenges facing East and South-East Asia.
The prevalence of drug use in East and South-East Asia has remained signicant. Cannabis is the most
used drug, followed by methamphetamine and other amphetamine-type substances.
Several countries and territories in East and South-East Asia have introduced regulatory changes
related to cannabis.
Malaysia formally removed mandatory death sentences and life imprisonment for drug-related
oences.
Illicit manufacture of and tracking in ketamine continues to be an issue of concern in the region.
Seizures of the substance, which is not under international control, nearly tripled in 2022 compared
with 2021, and there has been a proliferation of clandestine laboratories for the illicit manufacture
of ketamine.
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South Asia
South Asia appears to be increasingly targeted for the tracking of methamphetamine illicitly manu-
factured in Afghanistan to Europe and Oceania.
Proceeds of drug tracking are being used to fund terrorism, provide support to armed groups and
fuel political violence in South Asia. This has been shown by investigations in the region. Instances
of joint tracking of drugs and weapons have been reported.
An estimated 1.1 per cent of people aged 16 to 64 in South Asia use opiates. This prevalence is almost
double the estimated global average (0.6 per cent).
South Asia continues to be the region with the lowest levels of consumption of medically prescribed
opioid analgesics worldwide.
West Asia
The 2023 opium harvest in Afghanistan declined signicantly due to a reduction in opium poppy
cultivation. This followed the strict application of a ban on illicit drug cultivation announced by the
country’s de facto authorities in April 2022. Support needs to be provided for alternative development
solutions as aected farmers in Afghanistan may not have alternative sources of income.
Methamphetamine manufactured in Afghanistan has been increasingly reaching global markets.
Methamphetamine originating in Afghanistan now reaches markets in South-West Asia, East and
South-East Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and the Southern Caucasus, Africa, Europe and Oceania.
Methamphetamine use increased in South-West Asia.
The illicit manufacture of, tracking in and misuse of synthetic drugs, including new psychoactive
substances and pharmaceutical drugs, continue to pose a signicant challenge to countries in West
Asia. The Central Asia subregion in particular is aected.
Tracking in and use of falsied “captagon” continues to seriously aect the Middle East. This chal-
lenge is further exacerbated by political instability and ongoing conflicts in some parts of the subregion.
Europe
The quantity and variety of substances available in illicit drug markets in Europe pose a considerable
public health concern. They also represent new challenges to law enforcement, regulation, and the
provision of treatment and services to reduce the negative health and social consequences of drug use.
Several European countries have continued to establish regulated markets for cannabis for non-
medical purposes. These programmes do not appear to be consistent with the drug control conventions.
The non-medical use of ketamine has increased in several European countries, leading to an increase
in the number of people seeking treatment. There is a need for close monitoring of ketamine and
continued international collaboration to counter its illicit distribution.
In 2021, States members of the European Union encountered an alarming escalation in illicit drug
tracking and interdictions. The aggregate seizures of cocaine soared to an unprecedented level,
totalling 303 tons.
Report 2023
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INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL BOARD
Vienna International Centre, P.O. Box 500, 1400 Vienna, Austria
UNIS Tel.: (+43-1) 26060-4949 Web address: www.unis.unvienna.org
INCB Tel.: (+43-1) 26060-4163 Web address: www.incb.org
14
Oceania
Pacic island States have transformed from solely transit sites along drug tracking routes to destina-
tion markets for synthetic drugs. This is posing signicant challenges to communities and their public
health systems. Law enforcement and customs agencies of these countries reported multiple drug
seizures, particularly of cannabis and methamphetamine. Transnational organized crime, especially
drug tracking, is recognized as one of the most challenging issues facing the Pacic region.
Transnational organized criminal groups attempted to trac unprecedented amounts of cocaine to
Australia. However, the methamphetamine market remained the predominant illicit drug market.
Law enforcement authorities highlighted the need to address organized crime and violence related
to tracking of large quantities of drugs to the region.
Availability of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances for medical purposes is insucient in
some countries of the region. INCB emphasizes the importance of ensuring sucient availability
of internationally controlled substances for medical purposes, and calls for the non-parties to the
international drug control conventions – which are concentrated in Oceania – to take steps towards
accession and full implementation of the treaties.
Report 2023
EMBARGO
Observe release date:
Not to be published or broadcast before
Tuesday, 5 March 2024, at 11:00 hrs. (CET)
For information only — not an ocial document
INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL BOARD
Vienna International Centre, P.O. Box 500, 1400 Vienna, Austria
UNIS Tel.: (+43-1) 26060-4949 Web address: www.unis.unvienna.org
INCB Tel.: (+43-1) 26060-4163 Web address: www.incb.org
15
INCB INITIATIVES TO SUPPORT MEMBER STATES
INCB Learning
INCB Learning is the Board’s initiative to enhance the ability of Governments to estimate and assess
their requirements for internationally controlled substances for medical, scientic and industrial
purposes, in compliance with the three international drug control treaties, with the aim of promot-
ing adequate availability of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances for medical and scientic
purposes while preventing their misuse. The initiative includes ve e-modules for online learning (in
English, French, Russian and Spanish, as well as Portuguese) as well as virtual and in-person training
and seminars.
In 2023, INCB Learning conducted in-person training for 34 ocials from six countries in Central
America and the Caribbean and virtual training for ocials from seven Russian-speaking countries.
As of 1 November 2023, 1,462 ocials from 154 countries and territories have enrolled in INCB Learning
e-modules, and more than half (54 per cent) were women. The Board encourages Governments to
register ocials from their competent national authorities for the e-modules.
INCB global rapid interdiction of dangerous substances (GRIDS) programme
The INCB GRIDS Programme focal point networks form the robust infrastructure that enables the rapid
exchange of information and alerts, and the development of intelligence which facilitates operational
action to assist in investigations, including the dismantling of organized criminal groups track
-
ing non-scheduled dangerous substances, such as new psychoactive substances and non-medical
synthetic opioids.
As a result of the expanding network of focal points under the programme, the number of real-time
incidents communicated through the INCB IONICS platform exceeded 77,000 in 2023. This has sup-
ported Governments in carrying out investigations and analyses that led to seizures of dangerous
substances, arrests of trackers, prosecutions and disruptions of international tracking networks.
In 2022 and 2023, INCB conducted Operation Knockout to identify global tracking sources and
destinations of shipments of 1,4-butanediol, carisoprodol, flubromazepam, gamma-butyrolactone and
ketamine, substances associated with drug-facilitated sexual assault reported in a number of countries.
The operation involved 160 law and regulatory enforcement ocials from 76 national agencies and
organizations and six international partners. This led to 671 seizures, amounting to more than 785 kg
and 225 litres of drugs seized during the operational period.
Over the past year, the INCB GRIDS Programme convened 26 training events for more than 500 front-
line ocers. The training was led by regional technical ocers based in Egypt, India, Mexico, Nigeria
and Thailand and focused on the safe handling and seizure of opioids, and information exchanges
using the IONICS and GRIDS platforms.
Report 2023
EMBARGO
Observe release date:
Not to be published or broadcast before
Tuesday, 5 March 2024, at 11:00 hrs. (CET)
For information only — not an ocial document
INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL BOARD
Vienna International Centre, P.O. Box 500, 1400 Vienna, Austria
UNIS Tel.: (+43-1) 26060-4949 Web address: www.unis.unvienna.org
INCB Tel.: (+43-1) 26060-4163 Web address: www.incb.org
16
In the past year, ve global alerts and special notices were issued under the GRIDS Programme for
voluntary action by law and regulatory authorities and their private sector counterparts. This included
an alert relating to emerging tracking in tianeptine – a substance with opioid-like eects – and
tracking in bromazolam and flunitrazolam, both emerging novel triazolobenzodiazepines with no
known legitimate use.
INCB precursor control programme
Understanding national landscapes of precursor-related industries
to prevent the proliferation of non-scheduled chemicals
Building on the Board’s tools and resources, INCB cooperates with Governments to enhance knowledge
about national precursor industry landscapes, in particular industries that are not yet licensed or
otherwise regulated under national precursor laws but that deal in chemicals that might also be used
in illicit drug manufacture as alternatives to controlled precursors.
Operation Insight reveals practices in free-trade zones
Free-trade zones promote trade and industry through simplied and reduced taxation. However, they
are also vulnerable to tracking in drugs and precursor chemicals. Operation Insight, conducted jointly
with the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme, helped
to advance knowledge regarding free-trade zones and raise awareness among Governments about
the need for proper oversight over them, in accordance with the requirement of Art. 18 of the 1988
Convention. The operation provided evidence of the vulnerability of free-trade zones to be exploited
for precursor tracking. Notably, a seizure of a signicant quantity of pharmaceutical preparations
containing pseudoephedrine was reported during 2022, linked to one such zone.
The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) is the independent monitoring body for the
implementation of the United Nations international drug control conventions. It was established
in 1968 in accordance with the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961. It had predecessors
under the former drug control treaties as far back as the time of the League of Nations.
Based on its activities, INCB publishes an annual report that is submitted to the United Nations
Economic and Social Council through the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. The report provides a
comprehensive survey of the drug control situation in various parts of the world. As an impartial
body, INCB tries to identify and predict dangerous trends and suggests necessary measures to
be taken.
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INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL BOARD
