An overdose on a park bench. A clandestine lab hidden in a storage unit. A drug deal in a train station. A suspicious cargo shipment. What do they all have in common? They are crime scenes linked to synthetic drugs—each presenting unique challenges for investigators.
Unlike conventional crime scenes, those involving synthetic drugs may be contaminated with toxic chemicals, hazardous materials or security threats. Investigating them safely and effectively requires specialized expertise, equipment and protocols.
To meet this challenge, the UNODC Synthetic Drug Strategy has launched a new project to enhance crime scene investigation capacities in synthetic drug investigations. Moving beyond interdiction, this project ensures law enforcement can properly secure crime scenes, collect and preserve forensic evidence, detect fraudulent travel and cargo documents and strengthen cooperation among criminal justice stakeholders. By reinforcing forensic capabilities, UNODC is helping to uphold the integrity of criminal investigations and justice systems worldwide.
The project addresses key gaps in capacity of front-line operations, including limited awareness of forensic evidence collection and inadequate detection of fraudulent documents used in synthetic drug trafficking.
In San Jose, Costa Rica, front-line officers, forensic specialists and criminal justice personnel from Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador were trained on synthetic drugs related crime scene management, techniques for searching containers and identifying hidden compartments, preservation of evidence and maintaining the chain of custody, as well as detection of fraudulent travel and cargo documents possibly involved in synthetic drug trafficking.
Proper forensic handling is critical to successful prosecutions. Any laps in documentation or evidence mishandling can render cases inadmissible. Currently benefiting 16 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, this project marks a critical step forward to counter synthetic drug-related crimes.
This project is supported by Global Affairs Canada, through its Anti-Crime Capacity Building Program (ACCBP). As stated by the Canadian Ambassador in Costa Rica, Ms. Ioanna Sahas Martin: “This important project also aims to improve the success rate of prosecuting cases of trafficking in synthetic drugs through the collection of quality forensic evidence.”
From tackling synthetic drug crimes to disrupting human trafficking, financial fraud, and environmental offenses—this training can be applied beyond drug-related cases. With the scientific expertise and partnerships, its impact can reach far beyond Latin America and the Caribbean, setting a new global standard for crime scene investigation in an evolving threat landscape.For more information, visit: https://syntheticdrugs.unodc.org.
