Bilateral Efforts Intensify Against Drug Trafficking Following Delhi Session
On 2‑3 November, the second India‑US Drug Policy Executive Working Group convened in New Delhi under the auspices of India’s Narcotics Control Bureau. The gathering featured senior policymakers and enforcement officers, with NCB Director‑General Anurag Garg heading the Indian team and the U.S. delegation led by Acting Deputy Director Debbie Seguin of the Office of National Drug Control Policy and Sara Carter, the agency’s director and chief drug czar.
The participants reviewed the India Vision Roadmap 2026‑2029, a comprehensive framework drafted under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. The roadmap outlines a network‑centric investigative strategy, stringent control of drug precursors, financial monitoring, prevention tactics and rehabilitation measures. Garg highlighted India’s commitment to a network‑centric model that targets the entire drug‑trafficking ecosystem, from financiers and suppliers to logistics and facilitation networks.
Carter stressed that the executive working group is pivotal for breaking down international trafficking networks and preventing synthetic drugs and precursor chemicals from reaching global markets. Referring to the 2026 U.S. National Drug Control Strategy, she described criminal syndicates as operating like modern multinational logistics corporations, requiring an equally precise response.
U.S. Ambassador Sergio Gor underscored the real‑world impact of the collaboration, noting successes such as halting illegal chemical shipments, securing commercial supply chains and dismantling cartels that exploit these substances. The session also revisited achievements from the inaugural January 2026 meeting in Washington, including joint efforts on Operations Medmax and Wipe and appreciation for India’s voluntary code of conduct on precursor chemicals. Both sides agreed to maintain continuous institutional dialogue, swift intelligence sharing and coordinated enforcement to counter evolving drug threats.