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Page 15 - The Indian EYE 061926
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    Op-Ed                                                                    JUNE 19, 2026     |  The Indian Eye 15

            screening methods. Furthermore,                                                                       sociated with synthetic drugs and
            CBP  is  refining  its  data  collection                                                              precursor  chemicals,”  the  HSI  offi-
            processes for various shipment types                                                                  cial adds.
            to  improve  the  identification  of  po-
            tentially suspicious packages within                                                                    THE INTERAGENCY ENGINE
            intricate logistics networks.                                                                             The fentanyl response depends
                The  challenge,  officials  say,                                                                  heavily on coordination between
            stems from the nature of fentanyl                                                                     agencies  operating  at different
            production itself. Instead of visi-                                                                   points in the enforcement chain.
            ble poppy or coca fields, producers
            source chemicals through global sup-                                                                  CBP focuses on identifying and
            ply chains, often ordering them on-
            line and shipping them in small, mis-                                                                 interdicting illicit shipments at
            declared  consignments that blend                                                                     ports of entry and across trade
            into normal commerce. “Its dualuse
            nature makes it difficult for authori-                                                                routes, while HSI uses seizure
            ties to distinguish lawful trade from                                                                 data, financial records, intelli-
            illicit supply and to regulate specific
            substances without disrupting legit-                                                                  gence  analysis,  and investiga-
            imate  businesses,”  the  HSI  official                                                               tive leads to  identify  and  dis-
            explains.  “Traffickers  can  quickly   Because fentanyl production relies heavily on globally traded chemicals, international cooper-
            switch  to  alternative  or  ‘preprecur-                                                              mantle  the criminal networks
            sor’ chemicals when controls tighten.”   ation is key. India plays an important role as a major producer and exporter of pharmaceutical   behind them.
                                                                  and industrial chemicals (File photo)
                      TARGETING
                     THE NETWORK                  In  addition,  CBP’s  Office  of   icals,”  the  HSI  official  says.  “Our   Officials  say  information  gath-
                In response to this evolving   Trade analyzes supply chain vulnera-  engagement is framed as a shared   ered through CBP interdictions
            model, U.S. agencies have reworked   bilities to target shipments of precur-  supply-chain challenge: working to-  often feeds directly into HSI inves-
            where and how they intervene. Rath-  sors and equipment entering through   gether to prevent the diversion  of   tigations. “Continuous information
            er than focusing on intercepting fin-  legitimate trade pathways.   legitimate chemicals and expertise   sharing occurs between CBP and
            ished drugs at the border, agencies   HSI approaches fentanyl precur-  into illicit fentanyl and other syn-  HSI, with HSI units at CBP’s Na-
            increasingly target the broader sys-  sors “as a global illicit supply chain   thetic drug production.”   tional Targeting Center analyzing
            tems that enable fentanyl production   challenge, not just a narcotics issue,”   Cooperation increasingly fo-  shipping and seizure data to identify
            and movement.                     the official says. To identify high-risk   cuses on strengthening regulatory   fentanyl  trafficking  organizations,”
               “Transnational criminal organi-  activity, HSI analyzes trade data,   frameworks, supported by initiatives   the CBP official says. The agencies
            zations are most vulnerable at the   shipping manifests, customs decla-  like technical exchanges and training   also share real-time intelligence
            points where they must intersect with   rations, and commercial records for   on  financial  and  trade-based  inves-  on  trafficking  routes,  smuggling
            legitimate  systems—global  trade,  fi-  anomalies such as unusual routing   tigations, as well as cyber- and dark   methods, suspicious shipments, and
            nance, travel, communications, and   patterns, inconsistent product de-  web-enabled trafficking.     emerging trends, while collaborating
            the physical movement of goods and   scriptions, or repeated low-volume   “A  central  pillar  of  this  cooper-  through joint task forces and target-
            people,”  says  the  HSI  official.  The   shipments that do not align with a   ation is our engagement under the   ing centers.
            agency continuously assesses these   company’s stated business. Financial   U.S.-India Drug Policy Framework,   CBP’s rapid testing technologies
            intersections to  identify  emerging   investigations run in parallel, tracing   which provides a structured plat-  and cargo-screening systems support
            vulnerabilities  and  apply  pressure   payments through banks, shell com-  form for aligning priorities, sharing   intelligence collection and prosecu-
            using investigative authorities, ad-  panies, money service businesses,   insights on emerging trends, and   tion efforts, while HSI investigators
            vanced analytics, and domestic and   and trade-based schemes to  iden-  coordinating policy and operational   use  those  leads  to  map  trafficking
            international partnerships.       tify  networks supporting precursor   responses,” the HSI official adds.   organizations, track precursor sup-
                CBP, meanwhile, leverages in-  procurement.                         CBP also works with Indian    ply chains, and coordinate follow-up
            telligence, data analysis, and rapid   Officials  say  partnerships  with   authorities  under  mechanisms  like   investigations with federal, state, lo-
            screening to identify high-risk cargo   legitimate industry are also increas-  the  Customs Mutual Assistance   cal, and international partners.
            and passengers earlier in the supply   ingly  important. HSI  works  with   Agreement. “This collaboration in-
            chain. “It employs innovative  strat-  chemical producers, distributors,   volves sharing intelligence to disrupt   THE PATH FORWARD
            egies  like Forward Operating Lab-  and logistics firms to improve visibili-  online sales and developing train-  Ultimately,  the  fight  against
            oratories,  which  provide  rapid,  on-  ty into suspicious orders and encour-  ing and advisory resources to build   fentanyl  reflects  “whole-of-govern-
            site precursor screening and fentanyl   age reporting of questionable trans-  capacity for targeting and disrupt-  ment” recognition that in the age
            testing,  significantly  reducing  identi-  actions or customers.   ing synthetic drug movements,” the   of synthetics, seizures alone are no
            fication time from weeks to minutes,”                               CBP official says.                longer enough. By treating fentanyl
            says  the  CBP  official.  This  enables   THE U.S.-INDIA COOPERATION   To deepen cooperation, HSI has   as a global supply-chain and public
            faster law enforcement action, intel-      FRAMEWORK                proposed bilateral initiatives such   health crisis rather than a traditional
            ligence collection, and prosecution.   Because fentanyl production re-  as Trade Transparency Units and   smuggling problem, authorities are
                Pre-border enforcement has also   lies heavily on globally traded chem-  Transnational Criminal Investigative   moving toward a model of continu-
            become central to CBP’s strategy. It   icals, international cooperation is   Units aimed at improving real-time   ous disruption.
            works with foreign governments,  key. India plays an important role as   information sharing and joint target-  As  trafficking  networks  increas-
            private industry partners, and for-  a major producer and exporter of   ing of illicit supply chains.   ingly hide within global commerce,
            ward-deployed personnel to interdict   pharmaceutical and industrial chem-  “Only through close partnership,  the race to adapt—through AI, di-
            precursor chemicals and manufac-  icals.                            mutual trust, and continuous infor-  plomacy,  and  forensic  finance—re-
            turing equipment before they reach   “India is a critical counterpart on   mation sharing can we effectively   mains the front line of modern drug
            illicit networks.                 synthetic drugs and precursor chem-  confront the complex challenges as-  enforcement.

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