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Collect, Analyse, Organize, Evaluate, Share -
A Response to Challenges in Forensic Drugs Analyses (Short Project Title - Response)

About the Project

Systematic information on illicit drug markets and trafficking is still limited. Forensic drugs laboratories can provide such information via monitoring and profiling, identifying new psychoactive substances (NPS) and by evaluating other relevant data. Forensic information is the key factor for the strategic, operational, evidential and judicial purposes and influences the drugs supply reduction activities, planning, risk assessment and the coordination of actions at all EU levels. Prerequisite for this is the adequate forensic science infrastructure which meets the state-of-the-art science and technology criteria and enhanced cooperation between forensic labs and networking with other stakeholders in: collecting, analyzing, evaluating, organizing and sharing information and knowledge, through expert exchange, creating and updating common databases, developing the competencies of EU forensic labs and know-how transfer. 

Grant agreement number: JUST/2013/ISEC/DRUGS/AG/6413

Duration: from 5^th January  2015 until  4^th  June 2017

The RESPONSE project will address two specific topics of forensic drugs investigations:

• New psychoactive substances identification where lack of availability of certified reference materials (CRM) and specific reliable spectra databases MS and FTIR are the main problem for accurate NPS identification

  
  For the NPS identification objectives are to provide essential, reliable data (NPS spectra) and tools (databases) to forensic labs, to enhance their identification capabilities and reliability of identification and to make NPS investigations more cost and time effective.

• Drugs profiling where the main problem is the recognized gap between customers (law enforcement, judicial system, EU policy makers) needs and ForL capacities, methodologies and staff competencies.

  
  The objective  "profiling modules"  with a mentor based approach of  methodology development in combination with workshop assisted development of general drug profiling competences in EU labs, is to enhance general understanding of the profiling concepts and their use and to support the implementation of pact against drug trafficking and cross border law enforcement cooperation's.

Resources

• Drugs monographs - New Psychoactive Substances and related compounds (NPS) - interactive database and Analytical reports

• • Database description and guidelines for use  
  • Chemical characterizations and reporting of NPS - RESPONSE project methodologies  

DISCLAIMER: Although the RESPONSE project makes an effort to review the accuracy of data, "Drugs monographs" database should only be used as a supporting (analytical) tool.

• FTIR-ATR databases
  • Response_2017_05_ATR_JDX.zip  
  • Response_2017_05_ATR_OMNIC.zip  
  • Response_2017_05_ATR_OPUS.zip  
  • Response_2017_05_ATR_PERKIN.zip 

   

  • List of substances  
  • Supplemental document for identification of illicit drugs and new psychoactive substances by FT-IR ATR technique  

• FTIR-IRD databases (of condensed - solid phase IR spectra after chromatographic separation; all spectra are per base form of compound!) 
  • Response_2017_05_IRD_JDX.zip 
  • Response_2017_05_IRD_OMNIC.zip  
  • Response_2017_05_IRD_OPUS.zip 
  • Response_2017_05_IRD_PERKIN.zip 

   

  • List of substances  

• Anonymous samples analysis (samples anonymouslly collected in Slovena)
• Presumptive color tests (database, searchable along several parameters)
  • Presumptive color tests (database description and guidelines for use)  
• New psychoactive substances - presumptive color tests (booklet)  
  

Collection of data, analytical activities and statistics - Reports

• New psychoactive substances in SI, Report January-June 2017  
• New psychoactive substances in SI, Report January-December 2016 (NFL data)  
• New psychoactive substances in SI, Report January - June, 2016 (NFL - data)  
• New psychoactive substances in SI, Report January - December, 2015 (NFL - data)  
• New psychoactive substances in SI, Progress report January - June, 2015 (NFL data)  
• Quality and purity of illicit drugs, new psychoctive substances detected in Slovenia and awareness - report for 2016  (Slovenian) 
• Quality and purity of illicit drugs, new psychoctive substances detected in Slovenia and awarness - report for 2015   (Slovenian) 
  
• Quality and purity of illicit drugs, new psychoctive substances detected in Slovenia and awarness - report for 2014   (Slovenian)  

Events

Meetings and Events (attendance/organization was planned in the framework of the RESPONSE project)

• ENFSI DWG meeting combined by the RESPONSE project final meeting, May 9^th - 13^th, 2016, Bled, Slovenija

  
  The National Forensic Laboratory (NFL) of the Slovenian Ministry of the Interior - Police hosted 22^nd ENFSI Drugs Working Group (ENFSI DWG) meeting taking place in Bled, Slovenia from May 10^th- 12^th, 2016. The aim of the meeting was to gather scientists from European Forensic Laboratories and guests from other relevant organizations all over the world, willing to share their thoughts, knowledge, skills, good practices and research projects in the area of forensic drug investigation. Over 80 registered scientists from 34  countries participated.

  The meeting was also an opportunity for communication and dissemination of the results and achievements of the EU co-funded project "RESPONSE"  and some other currently running projects.

  Conference was partially co-funded from the funds of the EU ?Prevention and Fight against Crime? programme (RESPONSE project ? AG JUST/2013/ISEC/DRUGS/AG/4000006413). We kindly acknowledge this!

  ENFSI DWG conference, May 10^th- 12^th

  • Programme and book of abstracts  
  • Group photo 
  • Meeting highlights 
  • Evaluation 

  
  RESPONSE PROJECT activities in Bled (9^th-13^th May, 2016)

  • Presentations at the ENFSI-DWG meeting (O1, O5, P4-P8)
    • Presentation 1:  Response to New Challenges in Forensic Analyses - Objectives and Some Selected Results  
    • Presentation 2:  New Psychoactive Substances Database  
    • Presentation 3:  Qualitative Determination of Residual Solvents in Cocaine Samples by Static Headspace-GC-MS  
    • Presentation 4:  Cannabis preparations for "self-medication" - chemical characterizations of some recently seized products  
    • Presentation 5:  HEROIN PROFILING ? methodology development and first impressions  
    • Presentation 6:  Novel NPS - Test Purchases Over the Internet - What is in the Package?  
    • Presentation 7:  The Role of the NFL in the Slovenian EWS and WIDER ? RESPONSE and I-SEE Projects  
  • SC committee and related meetings
    • SC meeting agenda 
    • SC meeting minutes 

• RESPONSE project Steering Committee meeting combined with 7th European Conference of forensic science ( EAFS 2015), Sep 6^th - 11^th Prague, Czech Republic (activity closed)
  • About EAFS 2015 conference please see here: http://www.eafs2015.eu/
  • RESPONSE project SC meeting agenda  
  • RESPONSE project SC meeting minutes  
  • RESPONSE project presentations at EAFS-2015 conference:
    • Presentation 1:   Collect, analyse, organize, evaluate, share – a RESPONSE to challenges in forensic drugs analyses project objectives and activities, S. Klemenc et all., EAFS Prague, 2015 (poster)
    • Presentation 2:   Synthetic cannabinoids - characteristic MS fragmentation patterns and FTIR spectra of some cumyl-indole, cumyl-indazole and cumyl-azaindole carboxamide analogues, S.Klemenc and T. Gostič, Prague, 2015 (poster)
    • Presentation 3:   A systematical methodology for finding novel NPS (New Psychoactive Substances) over the Internet, L. Ask Ask Reitzel et.all, EAFS Prague, 2015 (poster)

• RESPONSE project Steering Committee meeting combined with ENFSI-DWG meeting, May 5^th- May 8^th, 2015, Dublin, Ireland (activity closed)
  • RESPONSE SC meeting agenda  
  • RESPONSE SC meeting minutes  
  • RESPONSE project  presentations at the conference:
    • Presentation 1:   Collect, analyse, organize, evaluate, share – a RESPONSE to challenges in forensic drugs analyses project objectives and activities, S. Klemenc, Dublin 2015
    • Presentation 2:   Slovenia at the cutting edge of new cumyl- derivatives and some other types of synthetic cannabinoids - by chance or by choice?, S. Klemenc, Dublin 2015
    • Presentation 3:   A systematical methodology for finding novel NPS (New Psychoactive Substances) on the Internet, N. Kahrle Atterlord et. all, Dublin 2015

• Kick off meeting organized for the project managers/ financial managers by EU Commission, February 10^th, 2015, Belgium (activity closed)
  • Agenda 
    (Other documents (presentations from EU commission) are avalable to project partners only.)

• RESPONSE project Steering Committee "Kick off meeting", January 29^th - January 30^th, 2015, Ljubljana, Slovenia (activity closed)
  • Meeting agenda  
  • Meeting minutes  

Other Meetings and Events (where RESPONSE project presentations have been given)

• ENFSI DWG meeting 2017 , May 9th -11th, 2016, Linköping, Sweden
  • Substance descriptors: structure, common name, systematic chemical identifiers and their consistency; S. Klemenc, (presented by Denis Saboti) 

• 6th Seminar of European Customs Chemists, 22 June 2016 - 24 June 2016, Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • EU CO-FUNDED project RESPONSE: New psychoactive substances database, S. Klemenc and I. Breum Müller 

• Technical Expert Meeting - Strengthening Early Warning of New Synthetic Opioids in Europe, at EMCDDA, 31st March and 1st April 2016, Lisbon, Portugal
  • Experiences with new synthetic opioids obtained in the framework of EU co-funded project RESPONSE, M.Janežič and S.Klemenc (invited by EMCDDA) 

• 3rd meeting of the CLEN Project Group on Designer Drugs and Other Illicit Products, 23rd- 25th November 2015, Brussels, Belgium
  • A Response to New Challenges in Forensic Drug Analyses - EU Project "RESPONSE" (2015-2017) ? Objectives and First Experiences, S. Klemenc 

• 15th Annual meeting of the Reitox Early Warning System Network, 8?9 June 2015, Lisbon, Protugal
  • Slovenia at the cutting edge of new cumyl- derivatives and some other types of synthetic cannabinoids, S. Klemenc 

Workshops

• 2nd PROFILING WORKSHOP, June 14^th-16^th 2016, Ljubljana, Slovenia
  • Programme 
  • Workshop highlights 
  • Evaluation 

• 1st  PROFILING WORKSHOP, June 15^th-17^th, 2015, Ljubljana, Slovenija (activity closed)
  • Programme 
  • Workshop highlights 
  • Evaluation 

One Day One Topic Seminars (Slovenian audience only)

• New pychoactive substances and evidential value of drugs profiling analyses, 28^th and 29^th September 2016 (for SI law enforcement; 2 x 25 attendees)
• New pychoactive substances and evidential value of drugs profiling analyses, June 7^th 2016, Ljubljana, Slovenia  (activity closed)
• New pychoactive substances (NPS) - response to challanges; February 25^th 2016, Ljubljana, Slovenia (for SI EWS membership only)

Enhanced analytical capacities in the Slovenian National Forensic Laboratory (NFL)

• GC-MS-FTIR instrument  
• GC-MS with Gerstel Multipurpose Autosampler Unit  
• FTIR-ATR instrument  

Partners

Coordinator

• Ministry of the Interior of the Republic Of Slovenia, Police ? NATIONAL FORENSIC LABORATORY, Slovenia

Partners (co-beneficiaries)

• University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology (FKKT), Slovenia
• Ministry of the Interior, National Forensic Institute (INPS), France
• Hungarian Institute for Forensic Sciences (HIFS), Hungary
• National Institute of Criminalistics and Criminology (INCC), Belgium
• Institut for Foresic Medicine, Aarhus (UNI Aarhus), Denmark
• University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Health (UNI CPHG), Department of Forensic Medicine, Denmark
• Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia, Forensic Science Centre (MUP RH), Croatia

Associated partners

• European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), Portugal
• Forensic Science Lab, Dublin (FSL), R Ireland
• Forensic Science and Toxicology Lab, State General Laboratory, Ministry of Health (FSTL), Cyprus
• Judiciary Police, Scientific Police Laboratory (SPL), Portugal
• National Investigation Service Norway (KRIPOS), Norway
• National Institute for Public Health (NIJZ), Slovenija
• University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Toxicology (UNI LJ FM DT), Slovenia
• Association DrogArt (DrogArt), Slovenia

Project manager

Dr. Sonja Klemenc
National Forensic Laboratory
Head of Chemistry Department (retired from 2023)
Vodovodna 95, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Contact details

Dr. Tomaž Gostič
National Forensic Laboratory
Head of Chemistry Department
Vodovodna 95, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

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