The Intelligence Value of Drug Profiling

 

 What was I doing last year? I was at the University of Strathclyde reading for an MSc in Forensic Science. This post was originally a presentation, now adapted for my blog. 

The Intelligence Value of Drug Profiling

Before I signed up to this course I took the MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) on Forensic Science, run by the University of Strathclyde. While it was mostly about a Murder Investigation, the course content took a little side quest into drugs. In my previous work I did Drug Testing for recovering addicts and thought I knew quite a lot about drugs, but the MOOC taught me one new thing: by profiling drugs, that is identifying their component parts like cutting agents and route specific markers, you could link batches of drugs that came from same clandestine lab.

It is my ambition to communicate science to non-scientists, so I’m taking a slightly different angle.

In order to answer the question of the Intelligence Value of Drug Profiling we have to visit the 3 of the 6 Ws which are so important in a police investigation. Why do we need profiling? What are we profiling? And How does profiling work?

So…. Why do we need profiling?

    Detective Lola Cat is hunting for the source of illegal catnip in her town.

Illegal catnip is pouring into the small Scottish town of Dalry. Irresponsible dealers are addicting innocent kittens to the foul drug. Detective Lola Cat is hunting for the source. Juveniles of all kinds are more easily addicted to drugs and Detective Lola Cat is determined track down the clandestine lab or labs responsible for catnip products flooding the market.

Drug Profiling can help track down the source of illicit drugs

What are we profiling?

Drugs come in a variety of forms

Drugs come in many different forms. They can be tablet based or powders. They can be smoked, injected or swallowed. New products come on the market with alarming regularity. Intelligence is needed to find a link between products and dealers in order to shut down the supply.

Here are a sample of recent seizures of catnip-based products. As you can see, starting bottom left and going clockwise, there are the classic leaf-based products, pellets that are smuggled inside cat toys, edible products and the latest release of semi-synthetic catnip in the form of  sprays. This collection is from multiple different seizures and Detective Lola Cat needs to know if there is a link between them. The way to ascertain if there is a link is by drug profiling.

How does profiling work?

 

Drug profiling’ is defined as the extraction of a drug’s chemical and/or physical properties to be used in the application of policies against the illegal use of drugs. - Forensic drug Intelligence: An important tool in law enforcement.  Pierre Esseiva et all.

With drug profiling it is possible to trace a common origin of the product by looking at the added diluents and adulterants. A diluent is a chemically inert product used primarily to bulk out the drug so that more can be sold. Adulterants often have similar properties to the drug but can be obtained more cheaply and easily.

When the test results come back Detective Lola Cat finds these catnip biscuits have been adulterated with tuna. The analysis reports that none of the other products contain tuna. This Intelligence eliminates the biscuits as coming from the same clandestine lab as the rest of the catnip products and directs the course of the cat police investigation. Detective Lola Cat is looking at two or more clandestine producers of catnip.

Am I being a little silly and not taking this assignment seriously?

 

  Drug profiling - image from University of Strathclyde, Centre for Forensic Science, Future Learn open course website.

 

Not entirely. I admit I simplified a very complex subject matter to fit into a five minute presentation. 

This is how drug profiling works. Chemical analysis of a seized drug can show the ratios of drug to impurities. No matter what cutting agent is added, the ratio will remain the same. Additional analysis identifies the cutting agents. Two samples may have different cutting agents but the ratio of impurities in the samples is the same. That tells us that two different dealers could be obtaining their pure product from the same clandestine lab, before cutting agents are added.

The Intelligence value of Drug Profiling is that it gives the police linking information so they can follow the drugs back along the user/dealer network.*

*Keith Borer Forensic Consultant‘s Website. Available at https://keithborer.co.uk/news/drug-profiling-common-source-what-does-it-actually-mean-your-case  

 

 And remember, Detective Lola Cat urges your vigilance in protecting kittens from the dangers of catnip abuse.