Before one can understand why fiberscope security equipment is used for drug interdiction, it helps to understand the terms. Take a look at each term in depth.
What is drug interdiction? Drug interdiction is the entire process used to interrupt illegal drugs from being smuggled into a specific area – city, county, state, country or continent. There are normally various stages of the drug interdiction process including detection, monitoring, interception, disruption and apprehension. The United States Coast Guard is often ‘on point’ in the war on drugs because so many smugglers try to get the drugs into the country by sea. The US Customs Service, on the other hand, would be responsible for catching any drugs coming into the country by air. These two agencies work in tandem with federal agencies and countries in the region to reduce the amount of illegal drugs entering the country.
On a local level, drug interdiction can be anything from a meth lab bust to detecting contraband in vehicles crossing state or country borders. A successful drug interdiction program may also include assistance from the public to identify drug traffickers.
What is a borescope/fiberscope? Borescope/fiberscope is not a term most people outside of the medical field know. It is also known as an endoscope. This piece of equipment is a rigid or flexible insertion tube attached to an eyepiece or LCD monitor. These allow the user to peer into areas that are inaccessible under normal circumstances. When used in connection with security or detecting contraband, the flexible fiberscope is inserted into the fuel tank or small areas within a vehicle to see if contraband is hidden inside. The CSECO FV Series Fiberscope has optional equipment including a digital still/video camera that can also be used to document what they find.
A flexible fiberscope is a bundle of optical fibers that provide a clear image to see inside places that are tough to access, like a fuel tank. They allow law enforcement officers to see inside of air vents or inside fuel tanks without having to tear the vehicle apart. For drug interdiction teams, this means they can see inside fuel tanks, under seats and in the small areas that smugglers like to hide contraband. By adding a digital camera to the inspection process, officers can prove the existence of the contraband as well as how difficult it was to locate upon visual inspection alone. The important thing to remember, however, is that without these tools, much of the smuggled contraband would go undiscovered by authorities.
The CSECO fiberscope is a single unit construction that does not need attachable parts. It has a built-in rechargeable battery, a built-in bright LED light for viewing in dark spaces, 2-way articulation for viewing in all directions and one-hand operation. It provides real-time video and still picture capture as well as instant image review when the recommended high quality digital camera is attached.
CSECO is proud to provide the FV Series Fiberscope, one of the many tools included in the CT-30 Contraband Team Detection Kit. By including the Fiberscope in the CT-30 kit, drug interdiction officers are able to locate more contraband and keep it off the streets.