NSW drug manufacture trends – cooks guiding chemists

A continuous problem for forensic chemists is the perpetual shell game between law enforcement targeting specific trending chemicals and equipment used in clandestine drug synthesis and organised criminal syndicates devising new synthesis pathways to avoid detection. Anticipating which new precursor will evolve into the new desired compound of choice or identifying new concealment methods, relies on the culmination of huge quantities of data at a state and national level to identify meaningful trends. This review presents casework data collected over four years, including more than 400 clandestine laboratories encountered by the NSW Police Force to map the current statewide trends to better inform forensic intelligence services and academia into the avenues that clandestine chemists are exploring to produce prohibited drugs domestically.