Main findings
INCB's Technical report on illicit drug manufacturing equipment
2nd Edition, 2025
Trends in equipment
Trends indicate a notable increase in the sophistication and scale of illicit drug manufacturing laboratories.
The use of high-quality and sophisticated equipment has increased the efficiency of the manufacture process, resulting in an increase in the yield as well as the quality of the end-product.
Tableting machines
1. Tableting machines are the most commonly reported piece of equipment seized in all the regions of the world.
2. The source of the majority of the tableting machines seized was reported to be commercially produced new equipment.
3. Often, and with a view to avoiding detection, imported tableting machines are shipped in pieces and subsequently assembled in the country of destination.
Modified industrial equipment
Second-hand equipment is typically purchased in local markets or on the Internet and then modified locally.
There is an increase in the use of second-hand, custom-made or modified equipment often purchased in local markets or on the Internet, making more difficult backtracking investigations by law enforcement officers.
Similarities across regions
There is an inter-regional linkage in illicit drug manufacture, and it is not limited to only synthetic drugs, but also to cocaine second-extraction processes, with different regions using the same equipment, chemicals and manufacturing methods.
Preventing diversion
Some governments have adopted voluntary measures such as public-private partnerships with relevant industries, where the reports of suspicious purchases received from the industries allowed them to investigate, and to prevent the diversion of drug manufacturing equipment.
What can be done?
Supply-side trends, actionable information and equipment investigations
- Exchange information on equipment-related incidents and consider using INCB´s electronic tool PICS.
- Conduct backtracking investigations on seized equipment and share experiences for investigative purposes.
- Monitor the Internet for suspicious postings involving equipment.
Legislation and control measures
- Share with INCB approaches, regulations and good practices that could serve as a model for other countries.
Cooperation with industry and legitimate trade monitoring
- Enhance knowledge of the nature and extent of the national legitimate industries and operators that supply, adapt or trade in specialized equipment of possible interest to traffickers.
- Enhance voluntary cooperation with them.
- Consider sharing information about planned exports of selected equipment, via e-mail, with importing countries and INCB on a voluntary basis.
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