Gabriela BONEVA 

Gabriela Boneva, ACSFS, IBSM, BAFS is a serious and organised crime research fellow at CENTRIC. Gabriela holds an MSc in Forensic Ballistics from Cranfield University and a BSc (Hons) in Forensic Science with Criminology from University of Greenwich. Her main research areas are organised crime, ballistics, and forensic investigations.  

https://orcid.org/0009-0004-6303-5507

Area of expertise: Organised Crime, Forensic Science, Criminology  

New Psychoactive Substances: The Current EU Landscape

New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) pose a growing global public threat and an ever-changing and complex scenario 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 (EWS). 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 the tracking and control of NPS by Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs).

In this paper we review the available literature on the current criminological landscape for NPS, ranging from their prevalence, detection-resistance concealment methods, criminal modus operandi, their presence online, as well as the potential health impacts on society. This work is supplemented by data collected through consultations with subject-matter experts, conducted as part of a European project that attempts to combat the illicit drugs trafficking chain. From this picture, we identify gaps related to the knowledge and capability needs of LEAs in relation to NPS and formulate recommendations for future work.