EU launches fresh drug precursor controls
Wants EU customs officials to seize shipments of medicines containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine
The European Commission has proposed tightening drug precursor customs controls for pharmaceutical ingredients ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and acetic anhydride. It wants European Union (EU) customs officials authorised to seize shipments of medicines containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine under reasonable suspicion that they could be destined for illicit drug production. The chemicals can help produce methamphetamines such as meth, ice, speed or crack, and Brussels says drug traffickers have imported legal medicines as sources.
As for acetic anhydride, which can be used to make heroin, existing rules tell EU companies to register any production or trading. The Commission now wants end-user companies to register usage of acetic anhydride in industrial processes.
The Commission also wants to establish a European Database on Drug Precursors collating data on seizures and stopped shipments, and listing EU businesses licensed and registered to handle precursors.
These measures help block access to the necessary chemicals for narcotics producers [and] create greater legal security for legitimate EU businesses,’ said Brussels.