India, US sign agreement in field of narcotics control, law enforcement op

India and the United States have signed an Amended Letter of Agreement (ALOA) in the field of narcotics control and law enforcement cooperation, the US State Department said on Friday.

The agreement was signed during the third meeting of the India-US Counternarcotics Working Group (CNWG) held in New Delhi on July 7-8.

"Mr Satya Narayan Pradhan, Director General, NCB led the Indian delegation and Mr Kemp Chester, Senior Advisor to the Director of National Drug Control Policy at the White House led the U.S. delegation," said the joint statement released by US State Department on Friday.

According to the state department, the US delegation was co-led by senior officials from the State Department and the Department of Justice.

"Representatives from relevant agencies responsible for law enforcement, policy formulation, drug demand reduction, and other drug-related matters, participated in the deliberations on wide-ranging issues related to drug demand, narcotics trafficking, regulatory and control efforts, and cooperation on enforcement and criminal investigations," the statement said.

During the working group meeting, India and United States signed an Amended Letter of Agreement (ALOA) in the field of narcotics control and law enforcement cooperation after presenting an overview of the prevailing drug trafficking scenario in their respective countries.

"The two sides signed an Amended Letter of Agreement (ALOA) in the field of narcotics control and law enforcement cooperation between India and the United States. During the meeting, each side presented an overview of the prevailing drug trafficking scenario in their respective countries and shared updates on current efforts to thwart trafficking and save lives," the statement added.

During the meeting, they also discussed law enforcement coordination, regulatory matters and opportunities for bilateral cooperation in multilateral forums.

Recognizing that drug trafficking and related crimes emanating from the region can present a major threat, the two sides decided to increase coordination and information-sharing on the matter.

Both countries also agreed to include drug demand reduction topics under the umbrella of the CNWG and cooperate to fight the exploitation of unregulated chemicals and pharmaceuticals diverted by drug trafficking networks

"India and the United States agreed to include drug demand reduction topics under the umbrella of the CNWG. Both sides also agreed to cooperate to fight the exploitation of unregulated chemicals and pharmaceuticals diverted by drug trafficking networks and to share best practices for monitoring the use of unregulated chemicals in drug manufacturing," the joint statement said.

The two sides discussed closer cooperation on information-sharing and capacity-building in combatting drug trafficking and related crimes.

"Acknowledging the importance of bilateral capacity-building in fighting cross-border drug trafficking, the United States will organize training programs for Indian drug enforcement agencies on trafficking in fentanyl and related synthetic opioids," the State Department said.

The United States will host the next CNWG in 2023.