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APPLICATION OF PALYNOLOGY TO ESTABLISH THE PROVENANCE AND TRAVEL HISTORY OF ILLICIT DRUGS

NCJ Number
142878
Journal
Microscope Issue: 40 Dated: (1992) Pages: 149-152
Author(s)
E A Stanley
Date Published
1992
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Palynology, the study of pollen and spores, is a science that had its first practical application in 1916 and has recently been revealed to be useful in establishing the geographic source of illicit drugs, the time of year that the drugs were processed or diluted, and some of the travel history of the drugs.
Abstract
This information is important to law enforcement agencies if drug interdiction is to be successful. However, the technique must be used by trained workers if the data derived are to be useful. An analysis of 124 grams of cocaine seized by the New York City Police Department revealed the main pollen types and the trees, grasses, and other materials from which they came. The results indicated that the cocaine was processed in South America during its spring. During the following year, it was probably diluted or repackaged in either one of two restricted areas in the north central or northeastern parts of the United States. A few weeks later, it was confiscated during an arrest on the streets of New York City. 9 references

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