Airport Scanners: Detecting Drugs With Technology

Airport scanners use X-ray technology to detect drugs and other contraband items. These scanners can see through luggage to reveal its contents, including metallic and non-metallic objects, as well as organic materials. While they cannot directly identify drugs, they can detect unusual shapes, densities, or organic masses that don't match other packed items, indicating the possible presence of narcotics. Full-body scanners are also used to detect items concealed on a person's body, including drugs hidden in clothing or strapped underneath.

X-ray scanners can detect drugs in luggage

X-ray scanners are a pivotal tool in airport security, helping to identify potential threats and ensure aviation safety. These scanners can indeed detect drugs in luggage, and their use has become more widespread since the 2000s, when smuggling attempts became more common.

X-ray scanners work by passing X-rays through the luggage, with some rays being absorbed and others passing through to detectors on the other side, creating an image. Different materials absorb X-rays in varying amounts, so security officers can distinguish between various items inside a bag. For example, metals are effective at absorbing X-rays and show up as dark blue or orange, while organic materials like food, paper, or drugs appear as shades of green or lighter colours.

Drugs, especially when compressed, often show up as dense, opaque masses on X-ray scans. The software flags any dense material that deviates from the expected density of normal items. Additionally, drugs made from organic compounds like heroin, cocaine, or marijuana have distinct signatures that trained security officers can recognise.

While X-ray scanners cannot specifically identify drugs by name, they provide visual clues about the presence of narcotics. The density, shape, and composition of items are used to flag suspicious items for further inspection. This may include a manual search, drug-sniffing dogs, or chemical testing of suspicious substances.

Full-body scanners can detect drugs on a person

Secondly, scanners can detect drugs based on their composition and packaging. Organic materials, such as drugs, appear differently on X-ray images compared to metal or plastic. Drugs made from organic compounds like heroin, cocaine, or marijuana often have distinct signatures, and trained security officers will investigate any suspicious organic material further. Additionally, if drugs are concealed in irregular packaging, such as within electronics or hollowed-out items, they can be spotted during an X-ray scan as scanners can easily detect irregularities in shapes and layers.

Furthermore, full-body scanners can also detect swallowed items or drugs hidden in body cavities, although this depends on the technology used. For example, transmission X-ray scanners can detect objects hidden inside the human body, including drugs swallowed or carried in the stomach by drug couriers. Millimeter-wave scanners, on the other hand, use non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation to detect objects and have been shown to be effective in finding threats or contraband on a person.

While full-body scanners can detect drugs on a person, it is important to note that they cannot specifically identify the type of drug. Instead, they flag suspicious items based on density, shape, and material composition, and it is up to security agents to perform further checks if necessary.

Scanners can't identify drugs, but flag anomalies

Airport scanners cannot identify drugs, but they can flag anomalies that may indicate their presence. These scanners use X-ray technology to capture detailed images of luggage contents, including metallic, non-metallic, and organic materials. While they cannot specifically identify drugs, they can detect unusual shapes, densities, or organic masses that don't match typical items.

X-ray scanners can penetrate luggage and create images based on the density and mass of the contents. Organic materials, such as drugs, food, and explosives, are often marked with orange colour. The scanners cannot always determine the exact composition of objects, but they can provide visual clues about their nature. If suspicious items are detected, security personnel will manually inspect the luggage.

Full-body scanners, such as Millimeter-Wave and Backscatter scanners, can detect items concealed on a person's body. They can identify unusual shapes or densities that stand out against the natural contours of the human body. These scanners cannot detect drugs inside body cavities, but they can detect swallowed packages.

Additionally, drug detection dogs and chemical testing kits are used to identify drugs during security checks. Overall, while airport scanners cannot specifically identify drugs, they play a crucial role in enhancing security and preventing drug smuggling.

Trained security officers further investigate anomalies

While airport scanners can identify anomalies in luggage, they cannot directly detect drugs. However, they can provide visual clues about the presence of narcotics. Once the scanner flags a suspicious item, trained security officers further investigate these anomalies.

Security officers are trained to spot visual signs of drugs, such as unusual shapes or organic masses in luggage that don't match other packed items, unusually dense items, or suspiciously wrapped packages. If they suspect the presence of illegal substances, they can take further action or use specialised equipment.

The next step involves a manual search, where officers physically inspect the item to determine if it contains illicit substances. Drug detection dogs are also commonly used to provide an additional layer of detection. If something suspicious is found, a small sample may be taken for immediate testing using portable chemical detection kits, which can identify various substances, including drugs.

In addition to visual inspections and drug-sniffing dogs, security officers may also employ other methods such as X-ray scanners, density measurements, and even pat-downs or strip searches in private rooms to confirm the presence of drugs.

Drug detection dogs are used for extra detection

Drug detection dogs are often used at airports to provide an extra layer of detection. The olfactory abilities of canines to detect various objects, organic compounds, and organisms are well-established. While humans have around five million olfactory receptor neurons, canines have around 200 million.

The use of drug detection dogs has come under scrutiny in recent years, with some studies questioning their accuracy. For example, a study from Australia and another from Chicago found inconsistencies in drug detection success rates. The Chicago study, conducted by the Chicago Tribune, analysed three years' worth of cases in which law enforcement used dogs to detect drugs in cars. It found that in only 44% of cases where the dogs alerted their handlers were drugs found. When the driver was Latino, the success rate dropped to 27%.

However, the Tribune also reported that dog-handling officers and trainers argued that the lingering scent of drugs or paraphernalia could remain in a car, and the dogs' sensitive noses could pick up on this residual scent. They also stated that the accuracy of the dogs should not be measured by the number of alerts that turn up drugs.

The success of drug detection dogs is often dependent on the handler. Dog handlers can accidentally cue alerts from their dogs by leading them too slowly or too many times around a vehicle. This phenomenon has been compared to 'Clever Hans', a horse in the early 1900s that was believed to be able to read and do math but was actually responding to unconscious cues from its owner. Training is key to eliminating these accidental cues and false alerts.

Despite the questions surrounding their accuracy, drug detection dogs are still widely used by law enforcement agencies, including at airports, and have been supported by Supreme Court rulings in the United States.

Frequently asked questions