Current Trends in Seized Drug Analysis Symposium (2026)

Live Online Forensic Symposium

A warm welcome to the 2026 Current Trends in Seized Drugs Analysis Symposium! We invite you to enjoy and engage in a week of exciting presentations from scientists from academia, government and industry.

This year’s symposium focuses on drugs today, and drugs tomorrow. In other words, what are the drug analysis problems we face today and what emerging threats are we likely to see? Followed by, how will Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) or novel techniques improve drug analysis?

• Monday - Global Trends: We begin the week by discussing the current global trends seen for drugs and novel psychoactive substances (NPS), touching on predictions of what drugs are coming next.  
• Tuesday - SWGDRUG: The Scientific Working Group for the Analysis of Seized Drugs (SWGDRUG) will give presentations covering statistical sampling methods, forensic drugs testing procedures and the rise of semi-synthetic drugs.
• Wednesday - Clandestine Laboratories: In previous years, audience feedback has asked for more insight to clandestine laboratories and frontline operations. This year we bring a diverse agenda covering cannabis extraction, semi-synthetic cannabinoids, and two customs cases including complex cocaine analysis.
• Thursday - AI/ML: The penultimate day brings the application of AI/ML to a range of analysis tools from field portable techniques to the laboratory and even wastewater.
• Friday - Novel Techniques: Closing the week with tradition, we will have presentations on the most recent analytical developments that will have an impact on drugs analysis.

Don’t forget to check out the Poster Session and the award for the student poster award (Thurs) presented by CFSRE!

Also please stick around for the workshops that follow the daily discussion panels to hear about some of the exciting techniques in drug analysis.

The Current Trends in Seized Drug Analysis Symposium is designed for YOU! The success of the symposium depends on your active participation, so please feel free to ask questions, share your knowledge and challenges, and provide suggestions for future speakers, session topics and any other feedback where possible.

Program Chairs:

• Dr. Carl Fletcher (Defence Science & Technology Laboratory),
• Dr. Terra Dassau (U.S Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and
• Samantha Ollerton (Precision Plus Consulting)

Registration

👉REGISTER HERE

Registration Fees

PLEASE HELP SAVE YOUR SEAT!! There is no registration fee for this event! If you are able, we are requesting a voluntary donation of $10 USD per attendee that can be made by clicking by clicking the PayPal button below. Why? We pay a fee for every online “seat”. Due to its popularity, we have had to close registration for past events once the number of seats we could afford to purchase were filled. Our goal this year is NOT to shut down registration, but rather to provide a seat for everyone that would like one. A small donation from each attendee would allow this to happen. If you cannot donate, you are still very welcome to attend the event. Thank-you for your kind consideration and we hope you enjoy this year’s program.

Schedule

Day 1 – Monday, January 26, 2026

(Global Trends | 8:45 AM – 12:00 PM EST)

8:45 AM – Welcome & Introductions

• Carl Fletcher, Terra Dassau & Samantha Ollerton – Program Chairs

9:00 AM – New Psychoactive Substances in Europe: Emerging Threats and Trends

• Rachel Christie, PhD – Early Warning, Alert, Laboratory Network Sector, European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA)

9:30 AM – Latest Developments and Emerging Challenges in Drugs and Chemicals in East and Southeast Asia

• Inshik Sim – UNODC Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific

10:00 AM – From Street to Lab: Transforming Fentanyl Analogs Analysis with Vibrational Spectroscopy

• Suja Sukumaran – Thermo Fisher Scientific (sponsored)

10:15 AM – Fatal Intoxication of 1-Thiophen-2-yl-2-MethylAminoPropane (-2-MPA): Forensic Case Report

• Libargachew Mihretu – Rwanda Forensic Institute (RFI)

10:45 AM – North American Drug Trends: A Data-Driven Examination

• Alex Krutulski – Center for Forensic Science Research & Education (CFSRE), NPS Discovery

11:15 AM – Full-Spectrum of Seized Drug Analysis Workflows

• Christopher Elicone – Bruker Daltonics, Billerica, USA (sponsored)

11:30 AM – Day 1 Panel Discussion

1:00 PM – Workshop: Uncovering Global NPS Trends – Forensic Insights Powered by LC-MS Orbitrap Analysis

• Thermo Fisher Scientific (sponsored)

2:30 PM – Accelerating Forensic Intelligence: Seized Drug Analysis with RADIAN ASAP and SpectralWorks

• Waters Corporation & SpectralWorks Limited

Day 2 – Tuesday, January 27, 2026

(SWGDRUG | 8:45 AM – 12:00 PM EST)

8:45 AM – Welcome & Introductions

• Carl Fletcher, Terra Dassau & Samantha Ollerton – Program Chairs

9:00 AM – Statistical Sampling of Seized Drugs for Qualitative Analysis

• Tiffany Ribadeneyra – Nassau County Department of the Medical Examiner, Division of Forensic Services

9:40 AM – Statistical Sampling When Encountering Negative Samples

• Jennifer Bonetti, PhD – Virginia Department of Forensic Science
• Jack Prothero, PhD – National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

10:20 AM – Rapid Results, Real Impact: Leveraging RADIAN ASAP for Forensic Drug Testing

• Emily Swartz – Cumberland County DA’s Office Forensic Laboratory (sponsored)

10:35 AM – Stop Testing Procedures and Indicative Results

• Christian Matchett – Vice-Chair, SWGDRUG

11:15 AM – What’s New with NPS: The Rise of Semi-Synthetics Complicates the Picture

• Donna M. Iula, PhD – Cayman Chemical (sponsored)

11:30 AM – Day 2 Panel Discussion

1:00 PM – Workshop: Rapid Seized Drug Analysis in Mobile and Laboratory Environments

• Elizabeth L. Robinson & Edward Sisco – National Institute of Standards and Technology (sponsored by Bruker)

2:30 PM – Semi-Synthetic Opioids: Cracking the Kratom Code

• Cayman Chemical

Day 3 – Wednesday, January 28, 2026

(Clandestine Labs | 8:45 AM – 12:00 PM EST)

8:45 AM – Welcome & Introductions

• Carl Fletcher, Terra Dassau & Samantha Ollerton – Program Chairs

9:00 AM – The Key for Drug Vapor Detection at ppq Sensitivities for Large Cargo Screening: Case of Maritime Containers

• Miguel de la Rubia Rodiz – Spanish Customs (AEAT)

9:30 AM – Cannabis Extraction: Common Methods and Some of the Risks

• Anonymous – Northumbria Police, UK

10:15 AM – New In-Situ Cocaine Concealment Detection Methods

• Diego Insuasty, PhD – International Center for Strategic Studies against Drug Trafficking (CIENA), National Police of Colombia

10:45 AM – Semi-Synthetic Cannabinoids in Clandestine Labs in Switzerland: Case Studies

• Daniel Bieri – Zurich Forensic Institute, Switzerland

11:15 AM – A Multi-Technology Approach to the Field Analysis of Controlled Substances

• Dave Godin – 908 Devices (sponsored)

11:30 AM – Day 3 Panel Discussion

1:00 PM – Workshop: How Law Enforcement Used Portable FT-IR and Raman Spectroscopy in the Field to Solve Crime

• Detective Sergeant First Class Pakorn Patimetha – New Jersey State Police, Hazardous Materials Response Unit (HMRU)

2:30 PM – Real-Time Insights Through Reachback Data Review

• Nadine Whiting – 908 Devices

Day 4 – Thursday, January 29, 2026

(AI / Machine Learning | 8:45 AM – 12:00 PM EST)

8:45 AM – Welcome & Introductions

• Carl Fletcher, Terra Dassau & Samantha Ollerton – Program Chairs

9:00 AM – Representations of Mass Spectral Datasets for Illicit Drug Characterization

• Melinda A. Kleczynski, PhD – Georgetown University
• Anthony J. Kearsley – National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

9:30 AM – Artificial Intelligence Supporting Frontline Decision Making: The Lumi Drug Scan Development

• Dion Shepherd – New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science (PHF Science)

10:00 AM – FTIR for Out-of-Lab Applications: Forensics

• Louis Tisinger, PhD – Agilent Technologies (sponsored)

10:15 AM – Detection of Synthetic Drugs on Complex Matrices and in Complex Settings

• Prof. Chris Pudney – University of Bath

10:45 AM – Analytical Tools for NPS Detection in Wastewater

• Richard Bade, PhD – The University of Queensland, Australia

11:15 AM – Student Poster Award

• Center for Forensic Science Research & Education (CFSRE)

11:30 AM – Day 4 Panel Discussion

1:00 PM – Workshop: Demonstration of the Agilent 4500 FTIR Forensic Analyzer

• Louis Tisinger, PhD – Agilent Technologies

2:30 PM – Building Field-Ready Mass Spectrometry Workflows for Modern Narcotics Detection

• Eric Wallis – Chief Product Officer, First Detect

Day 5 – Friday, January 30, 2026

(Novel Techniques | 8:45 AM – 12:00 PM EST)

8:45 AM – Welcome & Introductions

• Carl Fletcher, Terra Dassau & Samantha Ollerton – Program Chairs

9:00 AM – Field-Portable AFT-MS for Vapor Detection of Drugs and Explosives

• Robert Ewing – Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, USA

9:30 AM – Reading Between the Lines: Nitazene Testing, Public Health, and Harm Reduction in Scotland

• Lorna Nisbet, PhD – Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science, University of Dundee

10:00 AM – Data Independent Analysis of Seized Drugs Using Q-2DMS

• Tim Wilson – Director, Verdel Instruments Limited (sponsored)

10:15 AM – Detection of Novel Synthetic Opioids Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

• Patrick Welch – Defence Science & Technology Laboratory (DSTL), UK

10:45 AM – Portable Microscopy for Trace Detection of Narcotics: From Lab to Field

• Jason Guichetau – U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center

11:15 AM – Mass Spectrometry in the Field: Meeting the New Reality of Narcotics Detection

• Eric Wallis – Chief Product Officer, First Detect (sponsored)

11:30 AM – Day 5 Panel Discussion

1:00 PM – Workshop: An Introduction to Two-Dimensional Mass Spectrometry (2DMS)

• Verdel Instruments

Sponsors

• 1st Detect
• 908devices
• Agilent Technologies
• Bruker
• Cayman
• cfsre - The Center for Forensic Science Research & Education
• Rigaku
• Thermo Fisher Scientific
• Verdel
• Waters