Cocaine users can now be caught by fingerprint test

If you are using cocaine, researchers have just discovered a new way to prove it.

Scientists at the University of Surrey have developed fingerprint technology which can determine whether the Class A drug has been ingested, rather than just touched.

The test uses a technique of chemical analysis called mass spectrometry, which has proved more accurate than the more commonly used saliva samples relied on by authorities.

It is hoped the new research could simplify the existing tests carried out - commonly by officers working in the prison, court and probation services.

Dr Melanie Bailey, involved in the research, said: "When someone has taken cocaine, they excrete traces of benzoylecgonine and methylecgonine as they metabolise the drug, and these chemical indicators are present in fingerprint residue.

"The beauty of this method is that, not only is it non-invasive and more hygienic than testing blood or saliva, it can't be faked.

"By the very nature of the test, the identity of the subject is captured within the fingerprint ridge detail itself."

The test could see the introduction of portable drug tests for law enforcement agencies within the next decade.

Dr Bailey added: "We are only bound by the size of the current technology.

"Companies are already working on miniaturised mass spectrometers and, in the future, portable fingerprint drugs tests could be deployed.

"This will help to protect the public and indeed provide a much safer test for drug users."