Drug precursors

To import or export drug precursors, i.e. chemicals required to manufacture narcotics, you may be required to be authorised by or registered with the Medical Products Agency. Swedish Customs are tasked with combatting the smugglings of such goods.

In the last 40 years, there has been an international effort to reduce the access to illegal narcotics by throttling the access to chemicals required for their manufacturing. The methods for this is specified in Article 12 of the UN Narcotics Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988. Sweden joined the Convention in July of 1991. Today, most countries have joined. The purpose of the controls is to prevent chemicals from legal processes from being diverted to illegal manufacturers of narcotics and raising the awareness on the legal market.

Cooperation between companies and authorities

As part of achieving the purpose of article 12 of the EU Convention, the EU has implemented common regulations for monitoring trade in the customs area of the Union, and imports and exports.

The EU provisions stipulate that the member states should take reasonable steps to enable cooperation between the competent authorities and market actors. The market actors should inform the competent authority without delay in the event of unusual orders and transactions including the listed substances, as this may indicate that substances are diverted to illegal manufacturing of narcotics.

The Swedish competent authorities are the Medical Products Agency, the national operative unit of the Police Authority, and Swedish Customs.

Trade with and distribution of drug precursor chemicals.

Applicable laws on imports and exports of drug precursors include:

Act (2000:1225) on Penalties for Smuggling
Penal Act against Drug Abuse(1968:64)
Council Regulation (EC) No 111/2005 of 22 December 2004 laying down rules for the monitoring of trade between the Community and third countries in drug precursors
Regulation (EG) 273/2004 of the European Parliament and European Council on drug precursors
Commission Regulation (EC) No 1277/2005 laying down implementing rules
UN Narcotics Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988