Addressing the challenge of airline drug smuggling via body packing

Governments across the world work to stop harmful drugs entering their countries, with border force officials focusing on preventing drugs being smuggled in and reaching the streets. The role of airport security staff is particularly important here, especially as international smuggling gangs frequently use drug mules – often referred to as body packers – to carry illegal drugs inside their bodies on airline flights as a means of avoiding customs detection.

Body packing is an established means of smuggling drugs, first occurring in the early 1970s and becoming more and more prevalent. It’s a form of drug smuggling that specifically involves the swallowing or insertion of drugfilled packs inside the body. Primarily involving cocaine or heroin, the process involves considerable risk for the person involved, particularly due to the risk of acute drug toxicity resulting from a pack splitting or drug seepage.

Body packers typically swallow or insert between 50-100 drug-filled packets weighing around 10g each, concealing them in their intestinal tract. Carrying such large quantities of drugs inside their bodies can clearly lead to serious medical problems, including acute drug toxicity as well as complications such as bowel obstruction, bowel perforation and peritonitis. Unless addressed immediately, these conditions can prove either life-threatening or fatal.

Moving quickly to identify body packers at airports

Body packing is a real concern for airport and border control staff – not just because it is a widespread way of smuggling drugs, but also because of the potentially fatal risk of acute drug toxicity it poses to mules – should a drug packet split or seep internally.

For early body packers the process was highly dangerous, largely due to the failure of packing approaches such as condoms, latex gloves and balloons. Drug mule mortality rates were high, however high-quality latex packaging has now significantly reduced the chance of rupture, and increased the challenge for airport customs officials to identify body packers.

While airport and border control staff are trained to look for some of the indicators of body packing that can result from opioid toxicity – such as depressed mental status, lower respiration rates and constricted pupils, these aren’t always easy to spot. In reality, intelligence proves a key factor in drug mule identification – ideally potential body packers are highlighted before they even have a chance to board a plane. However, if border control staff have intelligence that a drug mule could be arriving on a particular flight, it’s important to have a way of moving quickly to confirm or rule out suspicions before they can pass through border control and enter a country.

Suspected body packers are typically sent to hospital for imaging investigations in order to confirm the presence of drugs in the body. Until now airport customs staff had to rely on traditional body fluid tests such as urine, which typically required specially prepared testing facilities, in order to gather intelligence on whether a passenger might be a drug mule. Urine tests can be costly to administer and take longer to screen potential drug users, making it a complex process for airport staff – and also potentially introducing delays into what could be a critical timeline for body packers.

Introducing Intelligent Fingerprinting – the fingerprint-based approach to drug testing that’s simply more convenient all round.

• Quick and easy – sample collection in seconds, results in 10 minutes

• Hygienic and portable – hassle-free drug testing anytime, almost anywhere

• Versatile and dignified – ideal for many different organisations and applications

• One-stop solution – from initial drug screening tests to laboratory confirmation

Our portable, hygienic system allows you to screen for commonly abused drugs with ease. Ten fingerprint samples are quickly collected onto a small, tamper-evident drug screening cartridge. This cartridge is then inserted into the DSR-Plus reader for analysis, with clear on-screen results provided in just 10 minutes.

Minimal training is required to use the system, with no need for special testing facilities or clinical waste disposal of used tests. This means it’s now easier and more efficient for organisations to carry out testing themselves, providing the flexibility to test wherever and whenever it’s needed and removing reliance on costly third-party collection services.

Thanks to its ease of use and portability, our system can always be close at hand to provide a reliable insight into potential drug misuse in the 16 hours or so before testing.

This short window of detection offers a better indication of likely impairment than traditional tests with longer detection periods. Many companies find this feature invaluable for fitness for duty testing in the workplace.

We are able support all your drug testing needs – from initial screening tests, to laboratory confirmation – and our diverse customer base includes employers, drug treatment services, family safeguarding organisations and even coroners. We also offer breath alcohol tests, providing a one-stop solution for all your drug and alcohol testing needs.

Our service doesn’t stop when you buy our system, as our expert customer services team and account managers are always on hand to offer training and ongoing support. For your convenience, we provide a choice of online or face-to-face training.

Find out all about the Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Testing System in our useful eight-page brochure. Click here to open the PDF brochure in a new window:

Fingerprint-based drug screening enables social distancing for both staff and pupils when testing, while also offering a more hygienic and dignified approach.

Most schools already operate a zero-tolerance approach to drug abuse, with clear policies stating that the supply, possession or use of drugs is unacceptable and not permitted on school premises, when wearing the school uniform or when representing the school. For some less serious cases, with mitigating circumstances for example, a head teacher may decide to suspend a pupil or issue a final warning, however the normal sanction for possession, use or supply of drugs is expulsion.

While schools may look to their PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic) education activities to help raise and discuss potential drug abuse issues, they also recognise the need for a more proactive approach with suspected pupil drug use. Within their drug and alcohol policies, schools usually declare the right to ask pupils under suspicion to take a test and traditionally this typically means using a urine or saliva-based method.

Understandably, much of a school’s current health focus will be taken up with COVID-19 detection and testing. However, it is still essential to ensure adherence to school drug policies throughout the pandemic and beyond. Not surprisingly, traditional types of drug tests have proved difficult for organisations to administer under COVID-19 social distancing guidelines.

Depending on the type of drug test used, ensuring safe and hygienic drug testing during the pandemic is proving to be an increasingly complex challenge for organisations of all sizes. Adhering to the government’s guidance on social distancing, minimising time spent in close contact with others and wearing face coverings in an enclosed space, is difficult with traditional drug testing methods. Oral fluid tests require the collection of an individual’s saliva in close proximity, with no mask, while urine drug tests also involve the handling of messy and biohazardous samples.

Introducing a socially-distant drug testing approach for schools

In this situation, a much simpler and safer approach to drug testing would be useful. One that’s quick and hygienic and that will allow schools to enable social distancing for both staff and pupils during use. The portable Intelligent Fingerprinting drug screening system directly addresses this requirement. Fingerprint-based drug testing is quick and easy to use and can be completed while fully adhering to social distancing guidelines – maintaining the safety of both the tester and the pupil. It is a really simple and hygienic process as both parties can remain socially distant at all times. Pupils can self-administer their own fingerprint sample collection, while always keeping at least 2m away from the tester.

Socially-distant drug testing for schools – how it works

To begin, the pupil takes the fingerprint drug screening cartridge from its wrapper, presses all ten fingerprints in succession onto the sample collection pad, and then slides the tamper-evident locking cover across to protect the sample. The pupil then steps away to allow the staff member to collect the cartridge and insert it into a small, portable reader that analyses the test cartridge and provides a positive or negative screening result for each drug in the test in just 10 minutes.

The fingerprint collection approach is both dignified and hygienic, with no need for intrusive oral swabs or messy urine sample collection. This removes the need for close face-to-face contact and there’s no requirement for testers to handle biohazardous body fluids. In addition, because the process doesn’t require an oral swab, face masks can be worn throughout the process.

A more cost-effective approach to drug testing

Using in-house fingerprint-based testing instead of more traditional approaches such as urine testing can also unlock significant savings for schools. Immediate efficiency savings include being able to carry out testing quickly and easily within a classroom or an office. There’s also no longer any need to cordon off toilet facilities to dedicate their use to urine sample collection. In addition, because the system is portable and simple to use, schools can run their testing programme themselves in a safe and convenient location at their convenience and as required.

This in-house benefit also removes the need and risk of bringing external testing providers into the school if a test is required, and enables greater flexibility when tests need to be conducted quickly if the school has reason to suspect the use of drugs or substances. The fingerprint test’s ease-ofuse and rapid results can also make it a useful addition to support PHSE sessions around drug abuse. Similarly, using the system for educational or deterrent purposes can assist as part of a school’s proactive drug abuse policy.

New Research Confirms the Efficacy of Fingerprint-Based Drug Screening Technology

A peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology provides compelling evidence that fingerprint-based drug screening is a reliable and effective method for detecting drugs of abuse. The research, titled “Drug Screening using the Sweat of a Fingerprint: Lateral Flow Detection of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol, Cocaine, Opiates and Amphetamine,” demonstrates that the sweat residue left in a fingerprint can be used to accurately identify the presence or absence of key drug groups.

The study focused on four common classes of drugs: Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cocaine, opiates, and amphetamine. Using lateral flow technology—an established format also used in devices such as pregnancy tests—the researchers successfully detected these substances through the sweat present in fingerprint samples. This non-invasive and hygienic method represents a promising alternative to traditional biological sample collection methods like urine, blood, or saliva.

Importantly, the research also highlights the successful application of this technology in post-mortem testing. The study included data from UK coroners who used the fingerprint-based method to detect drug use in deceased individuals. This expands the potential of fingerprint drug testing beyond workplace and roadside screening, demonstrating its viability for use in forensic and pathology settings.

The findings underscore the growing relevance of fingerprint-based testing in both living and post-mortem scenarios. As interest increases in fast, easy-to-administer drug tests that respect privacy and minimize biohazard risks, this research positions fingerprint sweat analysis as a practical solution for a wide range of real-world applications.

Read the article:

Drug Screening using the sweat of a fingerprint: Lateral flow detection of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, cocaine, opiates and amphetamine
Hudson M., Stuchinskaya T., Ramma S., Patel J., Sievers C., Goetz S., Hines S., Menzies E., & Russell D. A.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology (2018), 10.1093/jat/bky068

Our Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Prof David Russell, has published a number of research papers relating to the detection of drugs and drug metabolites in fingerprint sweat:

• Advances in fingerprint analysis P. Hazarika and D. A. Russell Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2012, 51, 3524-3531. DOI: 10.1002/anie.201104313
• “Multiplexed detection of metabolites of narcotic drugs from a single latent fingerprint” Hazarika, P. et al. Analytical Chemistry, 2010, 82, 9150-9154
• “Rapid detection of drug metabolites in latent fingermarks” Hazarika et al. Analyst (2009), 134, 93-96
• Imaging of latent fingerprints through the detection of drugs and metabolites P. Hazarika, S. M. Jickells, K. Wolff and D. A. Russell Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2008, 47, 10167-10170. (plus inside cover). DOI: 10.1002/anie.200804348
• “Intelligent” fingerprinting: Simultaneous identification of drug metabolites and individuals by using antibody-functionalized nanoparticles. R. Leggett, E. E. Lee-Smith, S. M. Jickells and D. A. Russell Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2007, 46, 4100-4103. DOI: 10.1002/anie.200700217

About Prof David Russell

Professor David Russell is an Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in the UK, renowned for his pioneering work in bioanalytical chemistry and nanotechnology-based diagnostics. His research has significantly advanced non-invasive drug detection methods, particularly through the analysis of fingerprint sweat.

In 2007, Professor Russell founded Intelligent Fingerprinting Ltd., a UEA spin-out company that developed the world’s first portable system for detecting drug use via fingerprint sweat. This innovative technology employs antibody-functionalised nanoparticles to identify drug metabolites in sweat residues, providing results within ten minutes. The method offers a dignified and efficient alternative to traditional drug testing, with applications in law enforcement, workplace safety, and rehabilitation services.

Beyond drug detection, Professor Russell co-founded Iceni Diagnostics Ltd. in 2014, focusing on carbohydrate-nanoparticle technology for diagnosing toxins and viruses. His contributions have been recognized with awards such as the Royal Society of Chemistry’s SAC Silver Medal. Professor Russell’s work exemplifies the translation of academic research into practical solutions with global impact.