Spice, Pinaca and co.

Synthetic drugs on the rise in prisons

A prison guard searching a detention room.

(Bild: Justizministerium)

Odorless, tasteless, invisible - new drugs are keeping the staff of domestic prisons on their toes. The Ministry of Justice wants to master this danger with some unconventional strategies.

"Spice", "Pinaca" or also known as "zombie drugs" - this illegal substance is currently causing alarm in prisons. Just last Saturday, we reported on an inmate who lay dead in his cell - suspected drug overdose.

"These are synthetic cannabinoids. These fall under the collective term 'new psychoactive substances' (NPS). They have nothing to do with cannabis, because the effect is completely different," explains Christian Fürbaß, who is responsible for the prison system/security and extremism prevention in the General Directorate of the Ministry of Justice.

"The kick is quick and short"
As a rule, these synthetic cannabinoids are smoked. "The high is quick and short, but it is intense. Instead of dampening you down, they give you a real boost. The addictive pressure is extremely high and users become agitated," says Fürbaß. Such substances are odorless, tasteless and invisible. And: they are very difficult to dose.

Officers are always on the lookout for drugs in cells.

(Bild: Justizministerium)

An ion mobility spectrometer is currently being tested to identify addictive substances.

(Bild: Justizministerium)

This is what the ion mobility spectrometer looks like.

(Bild: Justizministerium)

"Many people believe that nothing and nobody gets in or out of our prisons - a misconception. We have visitors, for example, external trainers come for vocational training, there are laundries and kitchens that need to be catered for, and of course there are also deliveries of goods for the prison's internal operations. If the carpentry workshop needs wood or the metalworking shop needs metal, this is delivered to the respective prison. Graz-Karlau Prison alone has 21 work stores. In addition, there are exits that have to be carried out in the course of prison relaxations," explains Fürbaß, "these are all ways in which items can be smuggled."

Drones as an aid
Throwing substances over the prison walls is also still practiced. "There are now even isolated attempts to bring objects inside the prison walls using drones. Of course, this is more costly than a tennis ball slashed open and filled with drugs, but it happens."

Various coping measures are in place to counter this danger. "In the prisons, there are daily prison room checks, searches for specific reasons and inter-agency focus campaigns. We are very well supported in this by the service dog squads of the state police directorates," emphasizes the expert.

We are also continuing to develop, because this issue and the safety of staff and inmates is a constant concern for us.

Oberstleutnant Christian Fürbaß

Between 50 and 60 joint searches are carried out each year in all prisons in Austria. There was such a focus operation in Innsbruck prison on November 29. "Seven service dog handlers were deployed, some illegal substances were discovered - the operation was successful," says Fürbaß.

"Sprayed on children's drawings"
The security officers also identified weak points. "We know, for example, that synthetic cannabinoids are often sprayed on documents such as children's drawings or manipulated official mail. If we discover suspicious edges, put a drop of water on the paper and the structure changes as a result, this could be an indication," says the expert.

The entire inmate mail has already been copied and the originals retained: "That was an insane amount of work. We now do this specifically in concrete suspicious situations." And as illegal substances can also be attached to textiles, incoming laundry items are washed before they are passed on to the detainees.

"Officers will also be drone pilots in future"
Modern technology also plays a major role here - "to identify addictive substances", explains Fürbaß. This includes strip tests such as urine tests. An ion mobility spectrometer is also currently being tested in Jakomini and Karlau police stations in Graz. In a pilot project with the University of Graz, this device is being used to create a database of ingredients. Sections of suspicious stationery or clothing are inserted, scanned and analyzed. "It quickly becomes clear what you're dealing with," says Fürbaß, emphasizing the benefits of this technology. This database should be fully completed by mid-January 2025 and contain dozens of substances.

"Staff will also be drone pilots in future"
The company is also going its own way with regard to drones: "We are planning to train our employees as drone pilots and then use them for perimeter protection on the outer borders of the prisons. That's currently underway."

Illegal substances will always be an issue within prisons. Fürbass: "This area is continuing to develop. A few years ago, we were extremely busy with bath salts (methamphetamines), now it's NPSs and in a few years it will be something new again. But the fact is: we are also constantly evolving, because this issue and the safety of staff and inmates is a fundamental and constant concern for us."