Drug and explosives detection equipment, including videoscopes (also known as fiberscopes and borescopes/boroscopes), can help save lives. While this statement may seem like a stretch to those who are not familiar with this technology, it is a fact that US Customs and Border Protection agents and law enforcement officers will attest. The following are ways drug and explosive detection equipment can save a life, possibly even yours.
Those intent on transporting illegal substances, money or even explosives around the country try to find ways to do so without detection. They may hide wrapped narcotics inside the gas tank of a vehicle. Another favorite hiding spot is inside the spare tire. Law enforcement may also find hidden compartments within the seats of a vehicle. These are three of the many locations inside a moving vehicle that are used by those transporting contraband. It also does not include suitcases, backpacks, boxes or other types of containers which could be placed within the vehicle.
Rather than having to tear a vehicle apart to locate contraband, CBP agents and police around the country use contraband detectors like the CSECO FV Series Fiberscope, Buster K910B, and CT-30 Contraband Detection Team Kit. These technologies allow agents and officers to detect hidden contraband in a non-invasive manner. If the equipment indicates an abnormal reading, they will then inspect the vehicle more thoroughly, sometimes removing fuel tanks, reaching into or behind seats, or removing large speakers to get to the hidden drugs. Considering illegal drugs are still a leading cause of death (over 40,000 per year), each time these officers are able to locate and confiscate illegal drugs, they are helping to save a life.
The FV Series Fiberscope is one of the primary pieces of equipment used by law enforcement agencies and border agents. The fiberscope can be run into small spaces such as through vents in a dashboard, inside a door through a small opening or inside a fuel tank. Because the fiberscope is made to resist gasoline and diesel fuel, it can be submerged in the fuel to see if anything is hidden in the tank. It also has two-way articulation allowing the user to see all around inside the tank and fiber optics which provide high-intensity LED lighting to make even the darkest corners viewable.
The fiberscope is often used in conjunction with the Buster K910B Density Meter. The Buster is designed to be the best contraband detector. It is able to detect illegal drugs, cash and radioactive material (meaning the possible presence of explosives) using Rad-Aware® radiation detection technology. When the two pieces of equipment (FV Series Fiberscope and Buster) are used together, they save lives by keeping possible explosives and contraband off the streets and out of the hands of would-be criminals.