Portable Electrochemical Detection of Illicit Drugs in Smuggled Samples: Towards More Secure Borders

Illicit drug consumption is posing critical concerns in our society causing health issues, crime-related activities and the disruption of border trade. The smuggling illicit drugs urges development new tools for rapid on-site identification cargos. Current methods used by law enforcement offices rely on presumptive color tests portable spectroscopic techniques. However, these sometimes exhibit inaccurate results due to commonly cutting agents or because are smuggled (hidden mixed) colored samples. Interestingly, electrochemical sensors can deal with specific problems. Herein, it presented an device that uses low-cost screen-printed electrodes detection square-wave voltammetry (SWV) profiling. A library profiles built upon pure mixtures common agents. This allows design a tailor-made script shows each through user-friendly interface. Finally, obtained from analysis different samples confiscated cargos at end-user laboratory present promising alternative current offering testing field.