This interception highlights the vital role of cooperation in combating the rapidly evolving illegal drug trade.
In its 2025 annual report, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) said authorities used its pre-export notification platform to stop the diversion of three tonnes of the precursor 1-boc-4-piperidone – a chemical intermediate used in the manufacture of fentanyl.
Had the shipment not been intercepted, it could have been used to manufacture approximately 1.4 to 3.3 tons of fentanyl. – between 700 million and 1.6 billion doses of deadly street drugs.
This case, which occurred in March 2025, is one of the many examples cited by the INCB to illustrate what it describes as an “international success” in terms of cooperation.
“The fight against drug trafficking and abuse, while ensuring the availability of essential medicines, has been carried out effectively over the past 60 years through the drug control conventions, a strong framework for working together with almost universal support,” said Council President Professor Sevil Atasoy.
“Our role is to strengthen the cooperation efforts of countries and territories through our work. »
A system built on cooperation
The INCB is an independent, quasi-judicial body responsible for monitoring the implementation of the three international drug control conventions – adopted in 1961, 1971 and 1988 – which form the backbone of the global drug control system.
Under these treaties, governments provide statistical estimates and reports to monitor the cultivation, manufacture, and trade of controlled substances, with the goal of ensuring their availability for medical and scientific purposes only.
According to the report, the effectiveness of this system has helped maintain the diversion of legally produced narcotics into illicit markets.very weak”, while the diversion of psychotropic substances – such as heroin and other opioids – has “practically stopped.”
In 2025 alone, more than 190 countries and territories cooperated through the online Pre-Export Notification (PEN) platform, monitoring more than 34,000 planned shipments of internationally controlled drug precursors.
Packages containing cocaine seized by Ecuadorian authorities. (archive photo)
What is the INCB?
The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) is an independent, quasi-judicial body established under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961.
It monitors countries’ compliance with the three international drug control conventions (1961, 1971 and 1988), overseeing the global system that regulates narcotics and psychotropic substances for medical and scientific use while preventing their diversion into illicit markets.
Its 13 members are elected by the United Nations Economic and Social Council for a five-year term. The Council is headquartered in Vienna and is supported by a secretariat linked to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Learn more about the Council here.
New threats, changing markets
Despite this cooperation, the Council warns that trafficking networks adapt quickly.
Cocaine trafficking remains the fastest growing illicit drug marketwith increased production in South America leading to expansion in Asia and Africa.
In Europe, Cocaine trafficking to Western and Central Europe has “increased significantly”. while the illicit manufacture of synthetic drugs continues to expand.
In North America, synthetic drug overdoses decreased by 17 percent in Canada and 27 percent in the United Statesbut the Council warned that it is “too early to assess whether this decline will turn into a lasting trend”.
In Africa, trafficking of pharmaceutical opioids – including substandard products – is described as the drug problem of greatest concern, while The South Asian region accounts for a third of the world’s estimated opioid users.
Methamphetamine remains the dominant synthetic drug threat in East and Southeast Asiawith record seizures reported.
Unequal access
Although the global supply of opioid painkillers remains stable, the Council stressed persistent inequalities in access to painkillers, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
Many countries continue to report difficulties in obtaining medicines containing morphine, and increasing the availability and affordability of psychotropic substances remains a priority.
“Protecting the health of people around the world from the dangers of illicit drugs is a common and shared responsibility,“, said Professor Atasoy.
“The international drug control system relies on the willingness and ability of countries to work together.»
