The work of the Drugs Intelligence Laboratory, Home Office Forensic Science Service

The primary purpose of the Drugs Intelligence Laboratory is to help the police identify sources of supply and manufacture of illicit drugs. This is done by providing scientific support to the Central Drugs and Illegal Immigration Intelligence Unit, a national police unit based at New Scotland Yard, London. The Laboratory provides detailed information on United Kingdom drug seizures and data obtained from a programme of comparison and characterization of seized samples. This intelligence information is then used to supplement that obtained through normal police channels in the search for illicit drug sources, manufacturers or distributors. This paper describes the techniques used for comparing and characterizing various drug preparations and outlines the type of information that can be gained from such studies.