Drug dealers turn to 3D printing

3D printers represent one of the most exciting and innovative technological breakthroughs of recent times but it is doubtful that anyone would have thought of their latest use when they were invented. So far, all the accounts of narcotic production by 3D printer are anecdotal but some drug enforcement operatives are in no doubt: "These are patterns of criminal behaviour that we've not seen before." says Don Menzies, a criminologist with a special interest in narcotic supply and distribution. "What we seem to have are laboratories springing up and then disappearing again all in a week or two; or in some cases over a matter of days. Furthermore the evidence suggests that most of the drugs supplied from these laboratories are not those like Ecstasy or Methamphetamine that you would produce in a lab: cocaine for instance, or heroin. This is new and disturbing."

"The process can be relatively straightforward." explains Dr Anton Schmelling, a researcher into 3D printing techniques, "complex chemical compounds can be produced out of simpler ones. Effectively, you print the laboratory chamber, which is actually quite small, and in this you inject layered strata of basic chemical reagents and, where needed, catalysts, finally the addition of a fluid reactant initiates a cascade reaction through the layers to leave you with the desired compound."

"This could be very hard to combat." said one law enforcement expert. "When it comes to large quantity narcotic supply, most agencies are focused on the control of importation. That is generally the most obvious way of targeting supply: at the highest point on the chain."

Others, however, have taken a different view. As Miriam Lewis of Detoxife, the drug rehabilitation charity, points out: "There are those who suggest that this may be the first step toward a process of legalisation by the technological backdoor. If so, perhaps it will be no bad thing if drug cartel profits are severely diminished or even cut off completely and government agencies can concentrate on dealing with a problem of public health rather than one of criminal organisation."