TAIPEI — Taiwan’s forensic scientists are on the front lines of detecting synthetic drugs that are rapidly spreading across Asia, but officials warn the world is missing out on critical early warnings because Taiwan is excluded from major international crime-fighting networks.
At the Criminal Investigation Bureau’s chemical laboratory, researchers have uncovered several new psychoactive substances, or NPS, in recent years. Many are disguised in vape cartridges and imported from China before being sold on Taiwan’s streets.
“These substances may cause people to lose control or even die if they take too much,” said Anton, a forensic chemist at the bureau. “Dealers often mix the compounds into e-cigarettes, which makes them harder to detect”.
The discoveries come as some countries move to crack down on e-cigarettes altogether. Palau has enacted one of the world’s strictest measures, banning all kinds of e-cigarettes in an effort to protect public health and prevent youth addiction. Other governments in the Pacific and Asia are weighing similar restrictions as evidence grows of vaping’s links to both conventional nicotine addiction and the spread of illicit synthetic substances.
The bureau relies on advanced tools such as nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers to analyze unfamiliar compounds and determine whether they should be classified as controlled drugs. Some of these substances have already been linked to fatal overdoses.
What troubles investigators most is that their findings are not automatically shared with international partners. “Even though Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, we follow their guidelines,” Anton said. “But we cannot provide our information automatically, which means the world loses valuable time”.
That delay has global consequences. In several cases, Taiwan has identified new drugs two years before other countries recognized them. Without immediate data-sharing, experts say traffickers gain the upper hand.
“This puts everyone at risk,” another bureau scientist said. “Criminals keep modifying chemical structures to create new drugs. If our discoveries are not shared quickly, they spread before other countries even realize what’s happening”.
Taiwanese officials say the situation underscores the need for inclusion in international security networks such as Interpol and UNODC. Until then, they continue to publish findings in academic journals and conferences — hoping the world takes notice before the next drug wave hits.
