Spring Break
RWU forensics professor discusses drug detection, classification Friday
Jeff Sullivan
Issue date: 4/2/08 Section: Campus
Rebussini said one of these new synthetic drugs is an opiate concentrate, referred to on the street as "China white." It is 6,682 times more powerful than heroin, making the weight of a dose infinitely smaller and transportation much easier in large quantities.
He added that the drug's characteristics also make a dose miscalculation or overdose much more probable.
"This stuff, one grain of salt cut in fours would kill you," he said. "[Dealers] get one ounce of China white and [cut it] 6,682 times evenly with magnetic stirrers. A couple thousand dollar investment turns into a billion dollar profit on the street."
One of the most useful items he discussed is the gas chromatograph, which vaporizes any substance to separate different compounds. Usually the machine is used to detect substances in a urine or blood sample in a forensics lab, but he said there are many other applications.
He also discussed the training methods of drug detecting K-9 officers, most notably the safeguards put in place to prevent a suspect from turning the dog on its master. Most of the time, the dogs are trained in a foreign language that is not prevalent in the region of operation.
He added that the drug's characteristics also make a dose miscalculation or overdose much more probable.
"This stuff, one grain of salt cut in fours would kill you," he said. "[Dealers] get one ounce of China white and [cut it] 6,682 times evenly with magnetic stirrers. A couple thousand dollar investment turns into a billion dollar profit on the street."
One of the most useful items he discussed is the gas chromatograph, which vaporizes any substance to separate different compounds. Usually the machine is used to detect substances in a urine or blood sample in a forensics lab, but he said there are many other applications.
He also discussed the training methods of drug detecting K-9 officers, most notably the safeguards put in place to prevent a suspect from turning the dog on its master. Most of the time, the dogs are trained in a foreign language that is not prevalent in the region of operation.
