Groundbreaking technology will alert police the moment criminals buy drug ingredients

Bikies and organised crime lords will be flagged to authorities the moment they buy key ingredients for drugs like ice and MDMA under a groundbreaking “real-time” reporting system being developed by NSW Police.

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Bikies and organised crime lords will be flagged to authorities the moment they buy key ingredients for drugs like ice and MDMA under a groundbreaking “real-time” reporting system being developed by NSW Police.

The new online system would immediately log a buyer’s details when they ­purchase legitimate industrial chemicals which police say are constantly diverted to underworld drug labs.

“This will, for the first time, provide real-time information on a national basis, which police can use to detect the ­diversion of chemicals and equipment to illicit drug manufacture,” a police statement said.

Bikie and criminals who buy precursors to make drugs will be alerted to police with a groundbreaking “real time” technology.

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Dozens of chemicals are classed as “precursors” for use in drug manufacture, like safrole — widely used in insecticides and also one of four key chemicals in the drug MDMA.

The industrial reducing agent hypophosphorous acid is critical in backyard ice and speed manufacturers.

Drug and Firearms Squad boss Detective Chief Inspector Michael Cook said the system could be up and running next year.

Bikies and organised crime lords will be flagged to authorities the moment they buy key ingredients for drugs.

“We’ll be able to place alerts on the system so that if a particular drug … or a particular combination of chemicals or quantity is ordered by an individual, it will flag an alert,” Insp Cook told an ongoing State Government inquiry into the drug ice.

Chemical suppliers already have to check photo ID and make buyers declare they have no criminal intent.

The ­immediate “web-based” system would go further, allowing investigators to swoop on drug cooks before the chemicals reached the clandestine lab.

Precursors found at a home in Chipping Norton.

Cops will be able to swoop on buyers before the ingredients make it to clandestine labs.

“Quite often it’s not possible for those chemical suppliers to have the (chemicals) on hand so they would be required to place an order and that ­person would come back and get them.

“That provides an opportunity for police to be involved.

“The objective is to identify these chemicals being moved from the legitimate industry purposes into the manufacture of illicit drugs.”

The new system would also create a nationally recognised list of restricted chemicals.

“Each state and territory in Australia has an end user ­declaration regimen, they are all slightly different, they all ­relate to different chemicals as precursors and different types of equipment,” Insp Cook said.

The domestic chemical market is not the only concern for police, they have also been liaising with a federal government department to tighten scrutiny on chemical imports at Australia’s borders.

Originally published as Groundbreaking technology will alert police the moment criminals buy drug ingredients