Guwahati (Assam) [India], July 6 (ANI): On the sidelines of the BRICS Heads of Anti-Drug Agencies Meeting 2026, which began on Monday in Guwahati, participating leaders affirmed that they are bound by a common aim of combating the drug consumption situation.
Delegates from BRICS member countries are participating in the two-day meeting organised by the Narcotics Control Bureau under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Nebiyu Tedla, Charge d’ Affaires, Ethiopia to New Delhi, told reporters that the BRICS session will focus on anti-drug works conducted under the platform of the BRICS.
“First of all, we would like to thank our Indian colleagues for their chairmanship and host since our arrival in the beautiful city of Guwahati. Today’s BRICS session will focus, as you have said, on anti-drug works that we conducted in the platform of the BRICS collection. The drug problem is a problem not only at the national level, but also at an international level. So platforms like BRICS will create the opportunity to collaborate, exchange information, and make a better collective effort towards addressing the problem. So we believe that today’s exchange will help us towards reaching that collective goal,” he said.
Tedla further said that Ethiopia will showcase their experience and will learn from other members here to combat the issue.
“Ethiopia, like any other country, has a challenge in this aspect. Definitely, we will bring and showcase our experience in dealing with the fighting against drug dissemination and its effect on the socio-economic situation of the country. And we are also here to learn from other colleagues and we believe that the session will bring out best practices from each delegation where we can learn from each other,” he said.
He also lauded India’s chairship of BRICS.
“India’s chairmanship so far has been wonderful. We are appreciative of the way the Indian chairship has been deliberating our deliberations so far. India has been making all the sessions successful and creating a consensus environment all over and we are very much appreciative of that,” he said.
Ivan Gorbunov, Russia’s Chief of Anti-Drug Enforcement, said that the event will prove to be useful for them.
“First all, we would like to thank the organizers of this event. We are sure that the sharing of experience is an important part of our activities. We would also want to share our experience and discuss the drug situation in our country. I think it will very positive work. So we have the common aim and also we have significant experience in the anti-drugs sphere. So we are sure that this event will be useful for us and our partners,” he said.
Director General (DG) of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Anurag Garg, said that drugs have become an international scourge, and all countries have to fight it.
“Drugs has become an international scourge. Our youth is, you know, is being, getting involved in drugs. And it’s a problem that we have to fight together. Different nations, they have to come together to fight this scourge,” he said.
Garg said that the use of dark net markets and the use of cryptocurrencies will also be deliberated upon.
“And this is an effort, this is an initiative that India has taken to host this meeting for the first time of the heads of anti-drug agencies of the BRICS nations in Guwahati. And in these deliberations over two days, we’ll be discussing many important topics that concern the world today. One is the use of dark net markets and the use of cryptocurrencies. Then the movement of drugs through maritime routes and so on and so forth. It’s an important step that we have taken under the visionary leadership of our Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi,” he said.
He also noted that Home Minister Amit Shah has unveiled a roadmap to control drugs.
“And you are also aware that recently our Home Minister unveiled a roadmap to control drugs, a national roadmap to control drugs in the next three years by 2029. So this is a useful opportunity for us India to showcase before the world as to how we want to control drugs in India so that they can also share best practices from us. So that is all I have to say on this occasion to you,” he said.
Garg said that Myanmar is a source of both meth and heroin that is coming into India, and they are trying to urge upon the states to create an effective ANTF in the states.
“Myanmar is a source of both meth and heroin that is coming into India. And that has been reflected in our annual report that we published a few days back. And we are aware of this problem. And we are addressing it in a multifaceted manner. We are actually supporting the states to raise their ANTF, that is Anti-Narcotics Task Forces, because they are the front line warriors who will fight this menace at the state level. We are trying to upon the states to create an effective ANTF in the states. That is one,” he said.
“Secondly, we are building our own capacity. You would know that NCB has opened zonal offices here in the last two years. We have also opened a regional office here in Guwahati, which is headed by an IG level officer. And that will give a lot of impetus to the fight against drugs. The establishment of these offices in the last one year, operational of these offices, the catch as you would have noted in the local media has also gone high,” he added.
He added that now they are identifying kingpins rather than concentrating on the petty couriers.
“And we have also identified certain key kingpins who are involved in this transnational trafficking. And one of them in Myanmar is national who was recently arrested in Delhi. That is how, I mean, rather than catching the petty couriers who take it across the borders, we are now concentrating on the kingpins. So we have identified certain people on both sides and process to bring them to face the justice is on,” he said.
Lucas Barbosa, Focal Point, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, said that the anti-drug working grouping in BRICS has a long and traditional history of cooperation.
“We are very pleased to be here in Assam, Guwahati. Very thankful to the Indian Church with the hospitality here. The anti-drug working group in BRICS has a long and traditional history of cooperation and we intend to keep that and to enhance cooperation in law enforcement and also in intelligence because it is a transnational threat that needs to be dealt through cooperation by all members. And that’s why we are here and we want to advance that. And we have very positive expectations regarding this meeting,” he said.
India will host the BRICS Heads of Anti-Drug Agencies Meeting on July 6-7 in Guwahati, Assam. (ANI)
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