The Mossos d'Esquadra will deploy 14 portable Near Infra Red (NIR) scanners to rapidly identify illicit drugs and determine their purity, cutting analysis times from days to seconds. The €177,800 investment aims to relieve pressure on forensic laboratories, where drug testing has overwhelmed capacity and delayed other critical investigations.
According to procurement documents, the handheld devices will be distributed across central and regional units of the Scientific Police Division. They use artificial intelligence and chemometric models to detect substances including cocaine, MDMA, THC-related products and heroin, with processing times between 0.1 and 5 seconds. A pilot project at the Mossos’ central headquarters confirmed the technology’s accuracy and speed.
The backlog in drug analysis has caused delays in processing forensic evidence from homicides, sexual assaults, fires and shootings. The central storage facility in Nou Barris, Barcelona, is saturated, largely due to slow testing of seized marijuana. The new scanners will allow officers to conduct on-site analysis without solvents or reagents, reducing environmental impact and eliminating the need to transport samples.
Technology Backed by Scientific Research
A study published in the journal Analytical Chemistry by researchers at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), in collaboration with the Scientific Police Division, validated the method using nearly 2,500 real-world samples. The research confirmed that NIR spectroscopy enables reliable, in-situ identification and quantification of drugs across all police regions in Catalonia.
This project not only represents scientific progress in the fields of predictive artificial intelligence and chemometrics but also serves as an essential management tool to optimize public resources and streamline the justice system.
The contract for the 14 devices was awarded to Target Tecnología on 19 August, with delivery expected within 90 days. The Mossos have not yet disclosed when the scanners will become operational or how workflows will be adjusted.
Broader Forensic Modernisation
The drug scanners are part of a wider modernisation of the Scientific Police Division. Recent upgrades include new DNA extraction and quantification equipment, the outsourcing of 4,000 genetic sample analyses, and enhancements to the ballistics unit with laser readers, high-speed cameras and distance-determination tools. The Evofinder system now enables automatic bullet matching across firearm cases, responding to rising gun-related crime in Catalonia.
Primary sources: Mossos d'Esquadra, mossos.gencat.cat, dsp.interior.gencat.cat. Reported by russpain.com, UAB - Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Redacción Cataluña, segre.com, cashstalker.com, es.openprocurements.com, beteve.cat.
