Centro de Documentação da PJ
Analítico de Periódico
CD 368
New psychoactive substances [Recurso eletrónico] : the current EU landscape / Gabriela Boneva, Luke Bates, Babak Akhgar
European Law Enforcement Research Bulletin, Luxembourg, Special conference (Edition n. 7, 2026), p. 33-47
Edição especial da conferência n.º 7, da “CEPOL R&S Conference 2024/2025”, subordinada ao tema “Tackling the World of High-Risk Criminal Networks (HRCN)", que teve lugar em Ostia (Roma), nos dias 25 a 27 de março de 2025.
DROGA SINTÉTICA, CRIME ORGANIZADO, MODUS OPERANDI, TRÁFICO DE DROGA, DETECÇÃO DE DROGA, COMBATE À DROGA
New psychoactive substances (NPS) pose a growing global public health threat and an ever-changing and complex challenge for law enforcement efforts. Due to their ambiguous legal status across Europe and beyond, they are designed to replace traditional controlled drugs while evading detection measures. Each year, hundreds of new substances are detected and monitored by the EU Early Warning System. Nevertheless, there remains a limited knowledge base available for NPS. The current understanding of the public health threats posed by NPS is limited, predominantly due to their continually changing chemical composition. Due to these chemical modifications, traditional detection methods are unlikely to detect NPS, further challenging their tracking and control by law enforcement agencies. In this paper, we review the available literature on the current criminological landscape for NPS, including their prevalence, detection-resistance concealment methods, criminal modus operandi, presence online and potential health impacts on society. This work is supplemented by data collected through consultations with subject-matter experts as part of a European project that attempts to combat the illicit drug trafficking chain. On this basis, we identify gaps related to the knowledge and capability needs of law enforcement agencies in relation to NPS and formulate recommendations for future work.
