Illicit drug profiling: The Australian experience

Abstract

Illicit drug profiling provides law enforcement agencies with physical and chemical information that may assist in identifying and disrupting drug trafficking organizations. Detailed chemical analysis provides information which when compared to historical data allows investigators to determine the geo-location of cultivated drugs such as cocaine and heroin. Similar analyses of synthetic drugs afford information on synthetic route and precursor chemicals. When combined with physical evidence this information may also be used to help establish links between different seizures of illicit drugs. The Australian Illicit Drug Intelligence Program, which is a collaboration between the Australian Federal Police and the Australian National Measurement Institute, was established to acquire chemical and profiling data on illicit drugs and disseminate information to appropriate national and international governmental agencies. © 2007 Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences.