NARCOTIC IDENTIFICATION

Near IR spectroscopy in the range of 900 to 1663 nm can be used to identify cocaine, heroin, oxycodone, diazepam and synthetic cannabinoids. This technique can be used by police officers, patrol agents, border officers, etc. to confiscate illegal substances. Accurate spectral models have been developed by scientists for each substance and a miniature NIR spectrometer measures the diffuse reflection from the samples. The samples can be inside a plastic bag which does not interfere with the measurements. Absorption spectrum can be calculated from the measurement of diffuse reflection and after mathematical treatment can be compared to library spectra to identify a substance. Mostly, the narcotic substances are a mixture of active substances (such as cocaine, heroin, etc.) and cutting agents (such as caffeine, paracetamol, etc.) and this makes the identification of these powder mixtures challenging. The shape of the narcotics could also vary from powders to tablets or lumps and NIR spectroscopy is very much capable of handling it.