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HOUSTON — The pace at the Houston Forensic Science Center is brisk. Dozens of boxes stuffed with drugs seized by police are stacked on tables and nearby shelves. Lab employees quickly rush back and forth between vials, microscopes and computers working to uncover the secrets behind each unidentified item placed before them.
That’s because miles away, prosecutors from Houston and nearby counties clamor for results from this one crime lab so they can begin to prosecute criminal defendants. And when it comes to drug crimes, every Texas court case following an arrest and a drug seizure starts with a round of lab tests.
And that process begins inside a downtown Houston high rise, where in late March, a young analyst in training assesses six tiny pink pills on a tray that appear to be a 20 milligram dose of the prescription painkiller OxyContin.
But there’s something off about the pills’ color. It’s a little too pink. A check of the lab results in his hand confirms his suspicion.
“This one is fentanyl,” said the analyst, who asked that his name not be published. Watching the trainee’s work is James Miller, who manages the Seized Drugs Division at the Houston Forensic Science Center, one of 50 accredited crime labs across the state, and Peter Stout, the crime lab’s president and chief executive officer.
The pill’s more vivid color also appeared suspicious...
Qatar’s International Media Office rejects Israeli media claims that its Gaza aid reached Hamas, calling the reports “categorically false.” Qatar’s International Media Office (IMO) has rejected re...