US, India launch drug policy working group to step up fight against narcotics, narco-terror

Inaugural meeting targets narco-terrorism, precursor chemicals &supply chain security. New Delhi accords the highest priority to tackling narcotics trafficking, says Indian envoy.

Indian Ambassador to the USA, Vinay Mohan Kwatra in a group photograph with Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Sara Carter and others during the India-US Drug Policy Framework Executive Group meeting on Counter-narcotics Cooperation, in Washington, DC on Thursday. | X/@IndianEmbassyUS X

New Delhi: The inaugural meeting of the US-India Drug Policy Executive Working Group was held in Washington, D.C., on 20 and 21 January, marking a new step in bilateral cooperation against narcotics trafficking and narco-terrorism.

The meeting was opened by Sara Carter, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), who underlined the shared commitment of President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to strengthen security cooperation and eliminate narco-terrorism.

“The drug crisis is now a core national security priority,” Carter said, adding that the working group will leverage the bilateral partnership to protect families while supporting legitimate industries.

“New Delhi accords the highest priority to tackling narcotics trafficking and the diversion of precursor chemicals, while ensuring that enforcement measures do not disrupt legitimate trade,” India’s Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, said.

The Executive Working Group, led by ONDCP’s Acting Deputy Director Debbie Seguin and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Deputy Director General Monika Ashish Batra, focused on delivering tangible and measurable outcomes in advancing the counter-narcotics partnership.

The meeting stressed the need for a whole-of-government approach that will strengthen inter-agency coordination, secure the pharmaceutical supply chain, and build on recent joint operations to disrupt transnational narcotics networks.

It highlighted the shared resolve of both countries to address the global drug challenge and work towards a safer and healthier future for their populations.

For Washington, the partnership with India gains urgency as the drug crisis increasingly becomes a national security challenge, driven by its links to organised crime and terror financing.

Working with India allows the US to target supply chains for illicit drugs and precursor chemicals that pass through, or originate, from South and Southeast Asia.

Likewise, New Delhi’s close engagement with the US strengthens its capacity to disrupt the trafficking network operating along its western and eastern fronts, many of which intersect with organised crime and narco-terror groups.

(Edited by Niyati Kothiyal)