Attorney General Sir Steadroy Benjamin has warned that Antigua and Barbuda cannot “bury our heads in the sand like an ostrich” when it comes to tackling emerging narcotics.

Speaking at the opening of a regional training workshop, he said the country’s reputation as a tourism destination built on “sun, sand, sea, safety and security” depended on taking drug threats seriously.

The three-day event is focused on strengthening Antigua and Barbuda’s Early Warning System, launched in 2021 to track and respond to new psychoactive substances. Supported by the Organisation of American States and funded by the Government of Italy, the programme brings together experts from Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica and St Lucia.

Training sessions will cover closer inter-agency coordination, the role of forensic laboratories, and equipping law enforcement with tools to detect synthetic drugs and opioids before they spread.

The initiative comes amid mounting global concern. Across North America, opioids such as fentanyl have fuelled a deadly crisis, while in Argentina last year 24 people died after consuming cocaine mixed with carfentanyl.

Officials say the workshop forms part of a broader Caribbean drive to strengthen drug monitoring systems and ensure the region is not blindsided by the next wave of narcotics threats.