Ahmedabad: Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) Director General Anurag Garg on Tuesday released a Voluntary Code of Conduct (VCC) for chemical and pharmaceutical industry to prevent the diversion of precursor chemicals for illicit manufacture of narcotic drugs.
At a conference held in Ahmedabad, Garg emphasised that while enforcement agencies play a critical role in interdiction and investigation, the fight against synthetic drugs cannot be won through enforcement action alone.
He said that manufacturers, importers, exporters, distributors, transporters and traders dealing in chemicals are uniquely positioned to identify suspicious orders, unusual procurement patterns, abnormal consumption trends, attempts to conceal end-use information and other indicators of possible diversion.
He also released the Voluntary Code of Conduct (VCC) for the Chemical Industry, a guidance framework developed to encourage responsible chemical stewardship, strengthen supply-chain integrity and promote early detection and reporting of suspicious transactions.
“The focus of the event was on preventing diversion of chemicals that could aid illicit manufacture of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and emerging synthetic drugs,” a statement said.
The conference was attended by senior officers of the NCB and the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN), along with representatives of major industry associations and leading companies from the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors.
More than 250 participants were present at the programme, among those present were Satish Waman Wagh, CHEMEXCIL Chairman; Jaimin R. Vasa, Gujarat Chemical Association (GCA) President; Bhalchandrasinh Raorane, Federation of Industries of India (FII) Chairman; Chanakya Contractor, Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) Chemical Committee Chairman; Viranchi Shah, PHARMEXCIL Representative; and Haresh Gopalbhai Patel, Ankleshwar Industries Association (AIA) Past Honorary General Secretary, and several other industrial bodies.
During the conference, officers of NCB and CBN made presentations on the rapidly evolving synthetic drug landscape, emerging trends in clandestine manufacture of synthetic drugs and the increasing misuse of precursor and essential chemicals by drug trafficking syndicates.
The participants were briefed on how criminal networks continuously seek alternative chemicals and substitute precursor substances to evade regulatory controls, making industry vigilance an essential component of India’s anti-drug strategy.
Industry representatives welcomed the initiative and shared best practices relating to chemical stewardship, supply-chain security, customer due diligence and voluntary self-regulation.
The participants acknowledged that safeguarding legitimate chemical supply chains is a shared responsibility and expressed their commitment to supporting the objectives of the Code.
Garg urged the industry to voluntarily adopt the guidance contained in the VCC and strengthen internal compliance systems, customer-verification procedures, transaction monitoring mechanisms and record-keeping practices.
He encouraged industry stakeholders to promptly share information with NCB regarding suspicious enquiries, unusual transactions, attempts to procure chemicals without legitimate business justification, or any activity that may indicate diversion for illicit drug manufacture.
The Voluntary Code of Conduct is intended not only for chemicals already notified as controlled substances under the NDPS framework but also for other chemicals that may have the potential to be misused in the manufacture of synthetic drugs and new psychoactive substances.
The Code encourages industry participants to remain vigilant regarding emerging diversion risks and to adopt a proactive approach towards identifying and reporting such threats.
(IANS)
