The interception underscores the crucial role of global cooperation in tackling the rapidly evolving illegal drug trade.
According to its 2025 Annual Report, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) said authorities used its pre‑export notification system to stop the diversion of three tons of 1‑boc‑4‑piperidone, a key chemical used in manufacturing fentanyl. Had it reached illicit producers, the shipment could have yielded an estimated 1.4 to 3.3 tons of fentanyl, equivalent to between 700 million and 1.6 billion doses.
The case, recorded in March 2025, is one of several examples the INCB described as an “international success story” demonstrating the effectiveness of collective action.
“Tackling the trafficking and misuse of drugs, while ensuring the availability of essential medicines, has been carried out effectively over the last 60 years through the drug control conventions,” said INCB President Professor Sevil Atasoy. “Our role is to reinforce the cooperative efforts of countries and territories through our work.”
The INCB is an independent body charged with monitoring implementation of the three international drug control conventions, adopted in 1961, 1971 and 1988. These treaties require governments to submit estimates and statistical reports on the cultivation, manufacture and trade of controlled substances to ensure that medicines remain available only for medical and scientific use.
The report states that this system has kept diversion of legally produced narcotic drugs to illicit markets “very low”, and that diversion of psychotropic substances has “virtually stopped”.
In 2025 alone, more than 190 countries and territories collaborated through the INCB’s online pre‑export notification system, overseeing more than 34 000 planned shipments of controlled precursors. These chemicals, if diverted, are often repurposed for the manufacture of synthetic drugs such as fentanyl, which has contributed to deadly overdose crises in several regions.
The INCB says the efficiency of global monitoring systems, alongside expanding cooperation, remains essential as criminal networks continually adapt to exploit regulatory gaps.
–UN/ChannelAfrica–
