Showing posts with label Narcotics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Narcotics. Show all posts

Thursday, April 17, 2014

INFOGRAPHIC: The Freakonomics of Drug Dealing

The Freakonomics of Drug Dealing
Explore more visuals like this one on the web's largest information design community - Visually.

Friday, January 25, 2013

INTERVIEW: The Coolest Mass Spectrometer At the Airport You Know Nothing About - The Griffin 824

Griffin 824 in operation (Photo FLIR)
Last week, I had the privilege and esteemed honor to interview Garth Patterson from FLIR about a product I’m dying to tell you about – the Griffin 824.  Before I begin, I’d like to remind you I was in military law enforcement/security for 10 years.  However, my knowledge of the science behind the Griffin 824 is cursory at best.  So, I called every person I knew who understood mass spectrometry to give me a brief tutorial.  As you can tell, Garth explained things perfectly.

Garth, can you tell me about your background and the product?  Let’s begin with you and then what it actually does?
Well, I’m the program manager for the Griffin 824.  I previously worked for Griffin before it became a part of FLIR.  The device is a mass spectrometry device which analyzes chemical compounds at the molecular level.  It is used in a variety of field applications ranging from corrections, law enforcement, border crossings, airports, etc. It looks for explosives and narcotic traces from a user-gathered sample.
Wow, that sounds pretty interesting.  How exactly does it do that? *At this point, I’m hoping Garth doesn’t go over my head.*
What happens is the user swipes a surface with a 1-inch paper-like sheet.  The sheet contains a surface area that picks up trace elements from the surface to be examined.  The user then inputs the sample in the Griffin 824 which then inserts the sheet between two stainless steel plates.  The plates are heated to vaporize the sheet and the elements.  The ions are then manipulated using electromagnetic fields and an analysis is conducted using software in the Griffin 824.  The device can differentiate between “junk” and actual compounds.  Something ion scanners previously weren’t so good with. 
How does a user know they have a “hit”?
The machine will display a green light at the initial startup and will then go to yellow when analyzing.  After the analysis is complete, the light will either go green again to signal a negative result or go red to annunciate a positive result.
How long does it take to start up the 824?
It takes approximately 20 minutes. Though, analysis takes about 10 seconds.
Why mass spectrometry?
It’s the standard for quality lab analysis for chemical compounds.  It’s also court-friendly.
So what separates this from the lab?
It can be taken into the field.  Mass spectrometry uses a lot of big expensive equipment in a lab, as is the case with Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry.  Because it’s transportable as a single unit and has many field user-friendly applications, it’s a natural fit for field analysis.
Going over some of the literature, it claims the 824 is equipped for both audio and visual alert cues. 
Yes.  We felt there was a need for operators not to have a loud, audible cue annunciate in front of a subject.
Are there any other applications that set the Griffin 824 apart from other technology?
It’s network addressable.  This means you can presumably plug the 824 into a network and have results shared over a network to a command and control center.  The 824 also has administrative and user profiles for individual operators in addition to a USB report for flash drives.  The screen is also a touch screen.  There is also no carrier gases needed which means no big helium tanks.  The unit is self-contained.  Given its ease of use, it takes a little under a day to train personnel on how to use the 824.
Garth, to say I’m impressed is an understatement.  How long from inception to production?
About 4 years.  We have another mass spectrometer, the Griffin 460 where we received feedback from operators wanting something for field use for narcotics and explosive detection analysis.  We saw the biggest need initially in airports for trace detection.
Garth, thanks so much for taking the time to speak with me.  It was truly an honor.  

For more on the Griffin 824, please click on the links below.

FLIR Griffin 824 web page

FLIR Griffin 824 Datasheet 
To see the Griffin 824 in action check out the video below (no audio)

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Synthetic Marijuana: Will the law ever catch up to science?


We have reached a point in our "war on drugs" where the laws fail to keep pace with the science behind designing and concealing these drugs.  That seems like a very emphatic statement from a guy who has no degree in science.  However, a story I discovered by the Washington Post has helped me reach this conclusion.  The article outlines how illegal drug chemists have successfully thwarted prosecution by using chemicals not on the drug schedule list set by the Drug Enforcement Agency to manufacture drugs like "spice".

The National Institute on Drug Abuse has this to say about "spice":
“Spice” is used to describe a diverse family of herbal mixtures marketed under many names, including K2, fake marijuana, Yucatan Fire, Skunk, Moon Rocks, and others. These products contain dried, shredded plant material and presumably, chemical additives that are responsible for their psychoactive (mind-altering) effects. Spice mixtures are sold in many countries in head shops, gas stations, and via the Internet, although their sale and use are illegal throughout most European countries. Easy access has likely contributed to Spice’s popularity. While Spice products are labeled “not for human consumption,” they are marketed to people who are interested in herbal alternatives to marijuana (cannabis).
The chemicals used to make "spice" and are of concern to the DEA are CP 47,497 and homologues,HU-210JWH-018, and JWH-073.  One chemical which should have caught your eye is HU-210.  It was recently listed in the Targeting Transnational Drug Trafficking Act of 2011 which prohibits "the manufacture or distribution of a controlled substance in schedule I or II or flunitrazepam by individuals having reasonable cause to believe that such substance will be unlawfully imported into the United States or into waters within 12 miles of the U.S. coast. Prohibits the manufacture or distribution of a listed chemical: (1) intending or knowing that it will be used to manufacture a controlled substance; and (2) intending, knowing, or having reasonable cause to believe that the substance will be unlawfully imported into the United States." This is important to note because chemists have gotten smarter and realized they no longer need HU-210 or any of the other compounds to have similar effects.

Due to the ever-changing illicit drug landscape, Senate bill 1612 (Targeting Transnational Drug Trafficking Act of 2011) was drafted.  It would help federal prosecutors charge those who imported or made chemicals used for the explicit purpose of making these compounds.  According to the summary text of the bill,

"Makes it sufficient to prove a conspiracy to commit an offense that requires the person to intend, know, or have reasonable cause to believe that a controlled substance will be unlawfully imported into the United States if only one member of the conspiracy had such intention, knowledge, or reasonable cause to believe."

However, as the Post article demonstrates, there are problems within states who do not have similar laws. Many states use archaic laws which specifically identify the drug and its current chemical makeup. They often fail to take into account how many times drugs like "spice" can be illegal one moment and legal the next due to the countless ways to make the drug without using any banned compounds. This is what gives these drugs their current demand among users who want to be able to purchase the drug "legally" without fear of prosecution. Another problem for some jurisdictions is testing. If you're testing for a group of compounds but the ingredients have changed or are masked, it could make reaching definitive conclusions about test results more difficult or near impossible.

When I was a security officer inside a housing area, I came across several young people who used synthetic marijuana they claimed was for "aroma-therapy". They claimed because this "legal weed" was "legal" because it only contained the scent of marijuana and not the compounds. I did my research and found that to be true as long as that was all there was to it. However, "spice" is known to have a similar scent as these "aroma-therapy" agents. Coincidentally, you can purchase these products online or in "head shops" around the country.

Aromatherapy "legal weed" on display at a storefront in Mississippi

The only way we can proactively combat this trend is to work on solving its underlying societal and individual causes for demand.  By simply eliminating supply or reducing it, you do nothing but increase its demand and value.  I'm not saying legalize it.  However, I believe until we mitigate how we as a society have failed to provide our children with enough intellectually and emotionally satisfying stimulants (i.e. loving homes, forward-thinking academics, community involvement, etc.), we will always be "behind the curve" in this "war".

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Would you hire marijuana grower as your CSO? The Sinaloa cartel did....

Felipe Cabrera Sarabia is shown to the press under the custody of army soldiers at the federal organized crime investigations headquarters in Mexico City, Dec. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

When I read a headline announcing Felipe Cabrera Sarabia's capture, I was expecting a guy from Scarface not a guy who looks like he should be at a booth for next year's ASIS conference.  The media and the Mexican authorities have dubbed him Joaquin Guzman Loera's "security engineer".  What that means in the security industry and what that means for the guy who protects the assets and safety of the world's biggest drug cartel are two very dissimilar things.

According to Forbes magazine, "Sarabia has allegedly been running operations for the Sinaloa cartel in northern Mexico". Can you imagine if Steve Jobs had left the daily operations of Apple to his chief security officer? I'm not knocking the person but that's one heck of leap. In addition to finding ways to protect the cartel from the Mexican authorities, Sarabia had the somewhat daunting task of dealing with rival cartels. If you've been paying any attention to events south of the U.S. border, you know this is not getting easier.

How and why Mr. Sarabia earned the moniker "security engineer" are what struck me, given his increased responsibilities since his boss went into hiding. Forbes stated, Mexican army spokesman General Ricardo Trevilla said in a press conference on Monday, "Cabrera and three of his brothers began as marijuana growers and that Cabrera rose through the Sinaloa ranks by using violence against his rivals. In recent months, Cabrera waged war against a rival faction of the Sinaloa cartel known as the "Ms", leading to a surge in violence around Durango."

In this June 20, 2011 photo released by Mexico's Attorney General's office, police from the Federal Public Ministry looks at drums of precursor chemicals for methamphetamine that were seized in Queretaro, Mexico. Mexican authorities have made two major busts in as many months in the quiet central state of Queretaro. In one case, they seized nearly 500 tons (450 metric tons) of precursor chemicals. Another netted 3.4 tons (3.1 metric tons) of pure meth, which at $15,000 a pound would have a street value of more than $100 million. Mexico's most powerful drug cartel appears to be expanding methamphetamine production on a massive scale, filling a gap left by the breakdown of a rival gang that was once the top trafficker of the synthetic drug. (AP Photo/Attorney General's office)

Mexican authorities found 14 mass graves with 287 bodies in Durango.  Cabrera was busy.  Killing is one thing but drug dealing is a whole separate part of his job.  Mexican law enforcement  has seized over 550 metric tons of chemicals used to make methamphetamine, in the last 6 to 8 months.
Mexican police excavating a mass grave in Durango
Just in case you're wondering how do you capture someone like this?  The answer is quite simple - snitches.  I just want you to know I have zero verifiable information to back that up.  However, there a few things the Mexicans admitted that bring me to that conclusion.  They stated not a single shot was fired.  That meant they had actionable intelligence on where he was and how vulnerable he would be when they struck.  You don't get that by listening to a wire all day.  You need someone on the inside and clearly the Mexicans did.

What does this mean for his boss and the cartel?  The U.S. currently has a $5 million bounty for Loera, while the Mexicans want him for $7 million.  Not bad for a guy who Forbes listed as a billionaire with over $1 billion in wealth and was listed as #55 out of 100 on their World's Most Powerful People List for 2011.  As far as the cartel is concerned, who knows.  My guess is they'll capture or kill Loera (my money is on the latter) and they'll proclaim a major "victory".  This will put a very small dent in the overall drug trade, as the international appetite for drugs continues to grow at an exponential rate.  Supply and demand is the law of the drug trade.

If you have any information about the whereabouts of Mr. Loera, call:
1-877-WANTED2 (1-877-926-8332)

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