Control of chemical precursors for the illicit manufacture of drugs
The working group aims to enhance and consolidate national systems for the control and management of drug precursors.
In line with the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (1988), most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have made regulatory efforts to control substances diverted for the illicit manufacture of drugs.
In this context, cooperation programmes led by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the European Union – including previous phases of COPOLAD – have contributed to strengthening precursor control and monitoring systems in LAC countries.
However, current regulations are mainly focused on interdiction strategies, precursor trafficking control, and the protection of the licit market. They often do not address the safe management and final disposal of chemicals with appropriate environmental safeguards. Furthermore, areas for improvement have been identified in the structure of control bodies and in the effectiveness of authorisation and inspection processes.
The strengthening of national precursor control and management systems is being pursued through three main lines of work:
Facilitating institutional exchange: Promoting the sharing of experiences between national institutions through regional activities that help identify good practices and successful examples of inter-country cooperation — a key element in effective precursor control and management.
Capacity-building: Enhancing the skills and technical expertise of personnel working in institutions with responsibilities in this area.
Targeted country support: Providing assistance to countries that have requested support. This, combined with capacity-building actions, contributes to reinforcing national systems, establishing risk profiling mechanisms, and improving collaboration between public and private entities to increase access to information on the handling of chemical precursors.
In addition, recognising the lack of specialised training for officials involved in combating illicit drug trafficking, an Advanced Specialisation Course on the Control and Investigation of Drug Precursors has been developed. This course is being implemented in collaboration with the Centre for Intelligence against Terrorism and Organised Crime (CITCO), under an agreement signed between FIAP and the UNED Foundation (FUNED).
