Clandestine Laboratory Investigations

1. used
TEJASVI BHATIA

2. An illicit operation consisting of a
sufficient combination of apparatus and
chemicals that either has been or could be
used in manufacture or synthesis of controlled
substances.

3. Possible Locations of a Clandestine
Lab
• Apartments
• Basements
• Trucks
• Vans
• Sheds
• Mines
• Hotel rooms
• Motor homes
• Farm labour camps
• Attics

5. Hotel Lab

6. In Trunk of a car
In Suitcase
In Travel Trailer

7. Lab Operators
There are three categories of clandestine
lab operators:
Small-scale
Commercial
Educated

8. Small-scale Operators
• Person is generally a drug-user
• No objective of Financial gains
• They obtain their chemicals through retail purchases
at grocery and drugstores
• Operation are conducted in homes, apartments, as
well as hotel and motel rooms.

9. Commercial Operators
• Manufactures for financial gain
• May or may not be users
• Has an established network to obtain large quantities of
chemicals and equipments required for manufacturing
• Different portions of operation may take place at separate
locations, to avoid detection by law enforcement

10. Educated Operator
• Least-encountered type of clandestine lab operator
• Usually has formal training in chemistry
• He has legitimate access to sources of regulated
chemicals
• Operator may be a hybrid between the small-scale
and commercial operator.
• May or may not be a drug user.

11. Manufacturing Process
The four basic manufacturing processes used
are-
 Extraction
 Conversion
 Synthesis
 Tableting

12. Extraction Process
• It is the separation of a precursor chemical from plant
material or over-the-counter medication
• No chemical change in the raw material occurs during the
process
Examples of extraction labs include hashish production,
coca paste production and extractions from pharmaceutical
preparations.

13. Conversion Process
• Conversion process takes a raw material and changes it into
the desired product.
• Involves minor structural changes within the molecule of the
compound, or of the chemical’s salt
e.g. Morphine to Heroin , Methamphetamine
base to Methamphetamine, Cocaine base to crack

14. Cocaine HCL
Reactive Chemical
Water
Free
Base
Cocaine
HCL
+
Reactive
Chemical
Salt Form Conversion
Basic
Structure OH
Basic
Structure H
Functional Group Conversion

15. Synthesis process
• Includes a chemical reaction or a series of chemical
reactions
e.g. LSD, phencyclidine, phenylacetone and
certain methamphetamine reactions

16. Chemical
A
Chemical
B
Chemical
C
A B
C
Cyclohexanon
Piperidine
Bromobenzene
Cyclohexanon
Piperidine
Bromobenzene
Synthesis lab Chemistry

17. Tableting
• Placing the finished product into dosage forms or in
more stable units for distribution

18. Needs of Clandestine labs
Clandestine
Lab
Knowledge

19. Equipment needs
Manufacturing methods used by operators include-
ExtractionHydrogenation
Reflux
Distillation

20. Heating Mantle
Distillation

21. Chemical needs
The three types of chemicals use in manufacture of
controlled substances includes-
 Precursors
 Reagents
 Solvents

22. About 34 different chemicals can be used to produce.
• Ephedrine
• Pseudoephedrine
• Phenylpropanolamine
• Red phosphorus
• Iodine
• Hydrochloric acid
• Ether
• Anhydrous ammonia

23. Knowledge needs
• Knowing how to combine the equipment and
chemicals to produce a controlled substance is a
necessary element.

24. Types of Clandestine Labs
• Methamphetamine
Red Phosphorous Method
Ammonia Method
Thionyl Chloride Method
Phenyl-2-Propanone
• Ecstasy (MDMA)
• Methcathione
Sodium Dichromate Method

25. • Phencyclidine
Grignard Method
• GHB
Gamma Butyrolactone Method

26. Indicators Of a Clandestine Lab
• Hoses
• Funnels
• Burner plates
• Pressure cookers/ Crock Pots
• Propane Tanks
• Strong chemical odour
• Covered windows
• Chemical lab grade glassware
• Weapons

27. Clandestine Lab Hazards
• The Number One
Hazard at a Clan Lab is…
THE SUSPECT!

28. Hazards..
• Flammable hazards
unstable reactions, vapor exposure, fire potential
• Electrical hazards (exposed wiring, reversed
switches)
• Acutely toxic atmospheres
• Gas cylinders, leaking or damaged
• Chemical reactions in progress
• Poor or absent ventilation
• Booby Traps

29. Common booby Traps
• Grenades on trip wires
• Fish hooks hung at eye levels
• Punji pits
• Explosives connected to electrical switches
• Contact explosives
• Video cassette tapes

30. Lab Hazard Safety Priorities
• Prevent unauthorized entry
• Avoid breathing odors
• Always wear gloves when handling any items associated with
a clan lab
• Do not touch liquids, powders, nor other substances
• Observe from a distance
• Attempt to turn off nothing
• Do not use radio until you are out
of or well away from the lab

31. Response should include
• Local law enforcement
• DEA
• EPA
• Fire department
• HAZMAT team
• Local health
Department
• EMS supervisory
personnel
• Forensic chemist

32. REFERENCES
• Forensic Investigation of Clandestine
Laboratories(2004), pg no. (1-45), (71-78)
- Donnell R. Christian
• www.namsdl.org/resources/BirkmeyerA2
• www.globalsecurity.org/military/intro/ied-indicators
• www.cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/e02021446
• www.methoide.fcm.arizona.edu/infocenter
• www.unodc.org/pdf/india/publications/training
Guidelines/19