Bangladesh: Equipped with UNODC's field test kits, frontline drug law enforcement agencies receive capacity boost

Dhaka, Bangladesh/13 December 2022: The UNODC Global Synthetic Monitoring: Analyses, Reporting and Trends (SMART) Programme in collaboration with the Regional Office for South Asia, accelerates its support to the Bangladesh Government’s efforts to counter the threats posed by synthetic drugs.

The influx of methamphetamine pills, originated from neighboring South-East Asia region, poses significant health and security risks to Bangladesh. In recent years, seizures of crystalline methamphetamine, which is more potent than methamphetamine pills, have also been reported by authorities.

Faced with this challenge, it is important for frontline law enforcement officials in the field to be equipped with adequate resources and tools to identify substances swiftly and systematically.

In this context, the Global SMART Programme provided 60 field test kits, for frontline law enforcement officers from the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC), Police and Customs in Bangladesh.

UNODC Regional Representative for South Asia, Mr. Marco Teixeira formally handed over the kits to Md Abdul Wahab Bhuiyan, Director General of the DNC, at a ceremony held in Dhaka.

Welcoming the initiative, Mr. Md Abdul Wahhab Bhuiyan, Director General, DNC, said, “With increasing needs to address synthetic drugs in the country, there is a greater necessity to enhance capacity of the Government laboratories. The kits provided by UNODC will certainly enhance capacity of the laboratories of DNC, Customs and Police to test drugs and precursors with more efficiency. I would like to thank UNODC for the support and look forward to further strengthen cooperation in the coming days”.

The UNODC test kits, developed and produced by the Laboratory and Scientific Service, Division for Policy Analysis and Public Affairs will assist law enforcement officers with rapid and simple colour tests for the preliminary field identification of drugs and precursors, in cases of illicit trafficking.

In September 2022, six field test kits were provided to the Government of Bangladesh, following the training on effective usage of the field testing kits in Dhaka.

"Equipping the frontline officers with adequate equipment and necessary skills play a key role in containing the threats posed by synthetic drug and precursor trafficking. They must have capability to identify suspicious substances to effectively respond in every case," said Mr. Teixeira. "UNODC will continue to strengthen the capacity of Bangladesh authorities by providing more training and field test kits in the coming months.”

In all cases where presumptive positive results are obtained with these tests, the suspected material should be submitted to an authorized laboratory for further confirmatory analyses. UNODC drug testing kits provide law enforcement personnel with the means to conduct on-site testing for illicit drugs, including narcotics such as opium and heroin as well as psychotropic substances like methamphetamine.

UNODC also produces precursor testing kits that help identify precursor chemicals used to manufacture drugs, such as ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, which are used to make methamphetamine.

The South Asia Global SMART chapter on capacity-building includes Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India and activities are being implemented in close cooperation with the Regional Office for South Asia, with support from the US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

This activity contributes to SDG 3 and 16: https://sdg-tracker.org/

(Supported by US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs)