Handheld Narcotics Analyzer Now Detects Emerging Drug Threat Fentanyl and Additional Synthetics
Narcotics officers, customs personnel and military police can now quickly and safely identify fentanyl, a potent emerging drug threat in the United States and worldwide, with the Thermo Scientific TruNarc handheld narcotics analyzer.
The newest update, TruNarc v1.5, expands the TruNarc analyzer’s onboard library and enables the detection of fentanyl, additional NBOMes and other emerging synthetic cannabinoids while maintaining the core functionality of the analyzer. A single test in the field allows law enforcement officials to immediately identify a wide range of drugs and stay ahead of evolving narcotics threats without requiring the use of laboratory time and resources for analysis.
A synthetic opiate, fentanyl is 30-50 times more potent than heroin in certain forms and can cause fatal overdoses. It was the subject of a United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) alert in May after the National Forensic Laboratory Information System (NFLIS) reported an overwhelming surge in fentanyl-related seizures in the United States, from 942 in 2013 to 3,344 in 2014. Because fentanyl is absorbed by the skin, it poses a significant risk to law enforcement officials. With the TruNarc analyzer, responders have the ability to sample most substances through sealed packaging, increasing officer safety.
Previous library updates have equipped the TruNarc analyzer to identify other growing threats, such as alpha-PVP (also known as “flakka” or “gravel”), a synthetic cathinone that was banned by the DEA in 2014 but has seen a spike in usage, specifically in the southeastern United States.
The TruNarc v1.5 library update can be downloaded onto an existing analyzer through an internet connection. More information on the Thermo Scientific TruNarc handheld analyzer can be found at www.thermoscientific.com/trunarc.
