Novel Strategies in Drug Concealment

Abstract

Drug concealment is a widespread tactic used by drug traffickers and distributors to hide their illegal cargo when transporting it within and across borders. Physical concealment – occluding visibility of the contents – is one of the simplest and most widely used methods. Imaging concealment – the attempt to avoid detection by coating drugs with layers or containers that reduce or impair interaction with electromagnetic detection techniques – is important when surveillance equipment, such as X-rays, is used. Drug traffickers may also attempt to carry drugs though body packing, i.e. ingesting or inserting drug packets into body cavities, which can represent a major health risk for those undertaking. More recently, drug traffickers have started using prodrugs and precursors as a strategy for transporting drugs across borders, which raises new challenges in drug classification and detection. It is important to adequately identify the strategies used, shortcomings in adequate detection, and update legislation to allow for the classification of chemically masked drugs of abuse.