US and India launch joint mechanism to tackle drug trafficking and narco-terrorism: More on it

The United States and India have taken a significant step towards combating drug trafficking and narco-terrorism with the inaugural meeting of the US-India Drug Policy Executive Working Group in Washington, DC.According to an official press release by the White House, the meeting was held from January 20 to 21, aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation and addressing the global drug challenge.
Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Sara Carter, emphasised the mutual commitment of President Trump and Prime Minister Modi to eradicate narco-terrorism and strengthen security cooperation.
Indian Ambassador Vinay Kwatra highlighted New Delhi’s priority to tackle narcotics trafficking and diversion of precursor chemicals while balancing enforcement with legitimate trade facilitation.The Executive Working Group, led by ONDCP’s Acting Deputy Director Debbie Seguin and Narcotics Control Bureau Deputy Director General Monika Ashish Batra, focused on delivering tangible, measurable outcomes to advance counter-narcotics partnerships.

Both countries are committed to dismantling illicit drug production and trafficking, securing the pharmaceutical supply chain, and adopting a whole-of-government approach.“Both countries committed to strengthening bilateral cooperation to dismantle the illegal production and trafficking of illicit drugs and their precursor chemicals that threaten our communities,” it read.

“They emphasised the importance of a whole-of-government approach that streamlines interagency and intergovernmental efforts and secures the pharmaceutical supply chain, consistent with respective national rules and regulations, while also building upon the success of recent joint operations to disrupt illicit narcotic trafficking networks.”

“The drug crisis is now a core national security priority,” said Director Carter, emphasising the importance of protecting families and supporting legitimate industries.

Earlier, Official Spokesperson of the MEA, Randhir Jaiswal, said that the meeting reaffirmed both countries’ shared commitment to tackling synthetic opioids, novel precursors, and digital platform misuse.

India ???????? and the U.S. ???????? held the Inaugural Drug Policy Executive Working Group meeting in Washington DC (20–21 Jan 2026).

Both sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to countering synthetic opioids, novel precursors and misuse of digital platforms, while balancing effective… pic.twitter.com/2rzJi4Mmbc

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) January 22, 2026

In an X post on January 22, he wrote, “India and the US held the Inaugural Drug Policy Executive Working Group meeting in Washington DC (20–21 Jan 2026). Both sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to countering synthetic opioids, novel precursors and misuse of digital platforms, while balancing effective enforcement with facilitation of legitimate trade.”