Drug Contamination of U.S. Paper Currency and Forensic Relevance of Canine Alert to Paper Currency: A Critical Review of the Scientific Literature.
J Forensic Sci
; 63(5): 1340-1345, 2018 Sep.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-29495067
ABSTRACT
Several studies have reported on wide-spread contamination of U.S. paper currency with cocaine and to a lesser extent other illicit drugs. Canines are trained and employed to search for and alert to drugs. Canine alert to currency has been used as evidence that currency has been directly involved in illicit drug trafficking to justify currency seizure and forfeiture. This assertion, particularly when the only evidence is based upon canine alert, has been challenged in the courts considering that most currency in circulation is contaminated with cocaine. Comprehensive review of the scientific literature establishes that (i) 67-100% of circulated U.S. currency is contaminated with cocaine ranging from a few nanograms to over one milligram/bill (ii) various biological and environmental parameters impact canine alert to drugs. It is concluded that canine alert to U.S. currency is not sufficiently reliable to determine that currency was directly used in an illicit drug transaction.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Paper
/
Smell
/
Illicit Drugs
/
Drug Contamination
/
Dogs
Limits:
Animals
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
America do norte
Language:
En
Journal:
J Forensic Sci
Year:
2018
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Israel