Prevent Illegal Drug Manufacture APL's extensive experience developing countermeasures to military security threats provides a strong base for assisting law enforcement agencies with problems such as illegal drug manufacture.
Farmers use large quantities of anhydrous ammonia as a fertilizer.
Theft of this chemical from farms for use by criminals creating illegal drugs is a serious problem in some areas of the country. APL researchers are developing a catalytic inhibitor to add to the ammonia that will prevent its use in clandestine drug laboratories while allowing farmers continued to access. The additive must be designed to be environmentally benign, have a minimal impact on the current agricultural infrastructure, be catalytic in function to minimize the quantity required, be safe to handle or distribute, and be inexpensive. The additive will either be innocuous or provide an enhancement of the ammonia's role as a fertilizer. The additive must also be both undetectable and impractical to remove from the anhydrous ammonia.