TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan and the United States will work to improve intelligence sharing in the battle against the international drugs trade, reports said Friday (July 15).

The pledge resulted from the July 13-14 Cross-Border Drug Enforcement Cooperation Forum, hosted by the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office and attended by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Liberty Times reported.

One of the key issues of discussion at the event was how to improve the sharing of information about the illegal drug trade. The participants also presented the latest developments and changes in the narcotics business and in law enforcement tactics, including changes in Southeast Asian smuggling routes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Academics presented findings about early warning systems for finding drugs and about the emergence of new synthetic drugs, emphasizing prevention and tracking methods.