By IANS,
New Delhi : India and Bangladesh Thursday expressed concern over the growing menace of synthetic drugs and pharmaceutical narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances being siphoned off for abuse, and trafficked across their borders.
The two countries vowed to make sustained efforts to curb contraband smuggling across their international borders.
At a bilateral meeting of the chiefs of their respective narcotics control agencies here, the two sides agreed to share intelligence on drug trafficking and adopt a coordinated strategy to prevent cross-border smuggling.
This is the third such director general-level meeting between the two agencies. The meeting was hosted by India’s Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).
NCB Director General Ajay Chadha and Bangladesh’s Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) Director General Mohammed Iqbal held day-long discussions here, and the Bangladeshi side displayed to the Indian side the latest modus operandi of drug traffickers.
“India and Bangladesh have agreed to enhance mutual cooperation through sustained steps to control drug trafficking,” a joint statement issued after the talks said.
The two agencies agreed to “continue sharing actionable intelligence and adopt a coordinated strategy to prevent cross-border drug trafficking,” the joint statement noted.
Best practices in curbing drug trafficking and reducing the demand for these substances would also be shared by the two countries.
Both sides said they would abide by their obligations under different international and bilateral agreements.
Training programmes would be held for those working in the field of drug trafficking, and resource persons for such programmes would be exchanged, the statement said.
The two sides also agreed to remain engaged with each other to control the trafficking of drugs, and meet annually.
The next meeting of the two narcotics control agencies is scheduled for June next year, in Dhaka.