Investigating the Transfer of Drug Particulate onto Evidence Packaging During Routine Case Analysis

Published

October 8, 2021

Author(s)

Edward Sisco, Liz Robinson, Rebecca Mead, Charles R Miller

Abstract

The presence of drug residue and drug background in a forensic context continues to be of interest for a variety of reasons ranging from its potential use as a means for presumptive identification to ensuring the safety and well-being of drug chemists. While prior work has studied the presence of these residues on laboratory surfaces and on drug evidence, the contribution of residue on the exterior of drug packaging from the analysis process itself has not be studied. This work aims to qualitatively and quantitively identify what, if any, effect the analysis of drug evidence has on the drug residue levels on the exterior of the evidence packaging. Using wipe collection techniques, samples from the exterior of drug evidence packaging were taken prior to opening cases and after repackaging to measure changes in residue composition and mass. A total of 64 submissions were analyzed and, an increase in drug residue mass was observed 85.5 % of the time. After analysis and repackaging, 95 % of packages had detectable drug residue on their exterior even though some of the cases were repackaged into new bags. Drug residue masses on the exterior of drug packaging were found to be as high as tens of micrograms. The presence of drug residue on the exterior of drug evidence packaging is expected given the collection and analysis procedures, therefore potential ways to minimize these levels are currently being studied. The presence of these residues is an important factor to consider when developing protocols for personnel throughout the entire evidence handling process – from evidence handling technicians to crime scene technicians to submitting officers.

Citation

Forensic Chemistry

Volume

26

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forc.2021.100372

Local Download

Keywords

Drug Evidence, Residue, Background, Exposure, Opioids, Safety, DART-MS

Citation

Sisco, E. , Robinson, L. , Mead, R. and Miller, C. (2021), Investigating the Transfer of Drug Particulate onto Evidence Packaging During Routine Case Analysis, Forensic Chemistry, [online], https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forc.2021.100372, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=932931 (Accessed January 14, 2025)