AI-Driven Narcotics Detection

Narcotics trafficking across borders is a growing global challenge, with criminals constantly adapting their methods to evade detection. A significant percentage of illicit drugs is still trafficked on people, in particular passengers, crew and staff crossing borders. Although technology has been put to work detecting concealments in freight, the same is not true of cross-border screening of people, which has always proved to be particularly challenging for a wide range of practical reasons. With the development of new and more specific screening technologies, there is an opportunity to address this shortcoming.

Apstec Systems Falcon technology was selected as the sole equipment to be funded by the EU, via the Pan European Network of Customs Practitioners, to be developed specifically to deliver ‘Fast non-intrusive screening of passengers to detect and deter body-worn drugs’.  The project is complete and the resulting Apstec Falcon Select AI-driven high-throughput screening solution is optimized to detect illegal drugs concealed on the body and screens people without the need to remove either outer clothing or bags.