Lithuania calls on businesses to help prevent chemicals reaching illegal drug production

16.07.2026 - Lithuania’s Drug, Tobacco and Alcohol Control Department (NTAKD) is urging companies that manufacture, trade, transport, store or use chemicals to strengthen their monitoring systems, warning that substances with legitimate industrial uses can also be diverted into illegal drug production. The department says cooperation between businesses and public authorities is an essential part of preventing chemicals from moving from legal supply chains into criminal markets.

Chemicals used in producing narcotic and psychotropic substances are commonly known as drug precursors. Some are subject to specific legal controls, licensing and reporting requirements, but criminal groups increasingly seek alternative substances that have not yet been formally regulated. These are sometimes described as pre-precursors or “designer precursors”, and their use makes vigilance across the wider chemical sector increasingly important.

Many of the substances concerned are ordinary products with important legal applications. Potassium permanganate, for example, is used in water treatment but may also be used in cocaine production. Acetone is widely used as a solvent in industry, pharmaceuticals and households, but can also be used during the production of cocaine, heroin, LSD and other drugs. The accompanying NTAKD guidance stresses that the objective is not to restrict legitimate chemical use, but to recognise and prevent suspicious diversion.

NTAKD is asking companies to know their customers, examine whether requested quantities and delivery methods are consistent with normal business activity, maintain reliable records and regularly review their internal prevention procedures. Warning signs may include customers unwilling to provide sufficient information, unusual or urgent orders, purchases outside the customer’s normal area of business, or requests involving equipment such as tablet presses and laboratory containers.

The department emphasises that individual warning signs do not necessarily prove criminal activity. However, several unusual elements within the same transaction may provide grounds for closer examination and reporting. Businesses are encouraged to contact NTAKD even when they are uncertain and only require advice, with the department promising confidentiality and protection of commercial information.

NTAKD oversees Lithuania’s legal trade in drug precursors, issues relevant licences and import or export permits, gathers reports of suspicious transactions, advises businesses and organises training. Its latest message places private companies at the centre of prevention: because they interact directly with customers and orders, they are often the first actors able to identify changes in purchasing patterns or attempts to obtain chemicals for illegal purposes.

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Source: NTAKD