Guwahati (Assam), July 7: BRICS nations on Tuesday adopted the Guwahati Declaration, vowing to step up joint action against illicit drug trafficking and transnational crime through faster intelligence sharing, digital technology and coordinated enforcement.
The declaration was adopted at the end of the two-day BRICS Heads of Anti-Drug Agencies Meeting in Guwahati, held under India’s BRICS Chairship for 2026.
Member countries agreed to improve the timely exchange of information and best practices in line with national laws and international commitments. They also pledged to use data-driven tools and innovative technologies to track and disrupt drug networks.
The declaration voiced concern over the rise of synthetic drugs and New Psychoactive Substances, diversion of precursor chemicals, and the use of virtual assets, darknet platforms and maritime routes by criminal syndicates.
It also stressed the need for demand-reduction programs focused on children and youth, with evidence-based outreach to promote healthy lifestyles and protect vulnerable communities.
Narcotics Control Bureau Director General Anurag Garg led the Indian delegation. He urged BRICS anti-drug agencies to build a partnership based on speed, trust and seamless real-time intelligence sharing to dismantle transnational trafficking networks.
Highlighting India’s approach under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Garg said the country follows a zero-tolerance policy on drugs. He outlined a new three-year roadmap for 2026-2029 centered on a network-based strategy to break criminal chains, prevent abuse through awareness, and strengthen treatment, de-addiction and rehabilitation.
In his closing remarks, Garg proposed the creation of a BRICS Virtual Working Group and greater cross-border training to help agencies tackle increasingly connected global drug routes.
Representatives from Brazil, China, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia and the United Arab Emirates also discussed threats such as darknet-enabled trafficking, digital drug markets and chemical leakage in global supply chains.
India’s BRICS Chairship this year is themed “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
