The "meth gun" looks similar to a radar gun but it's made to help police find trace amounts of dope. According to CDEX Inc., the $10,000 device is the first portable, handheld system that uses ultraviolet light to scan surfaces (most likely at close range). From the Arizona Daily Star:
The device works by transmitting UV radiation at a surface, causing any chemicals to release their "spectral fingerprints." It's a form of spectroscopy. When a chemical is exposed to UV radiation and releases its signature, the meth gun picks that up, CDEX scientists said.
This allows the meth gun to instantly scan for meth on a surface.
"We see this as an investigative aid," Foster said. "If I had been ingesting cocaine and then wiped it off, this unit would be able to identify the cocaine on that table or on my clothes…"
The devices being field-tested will test only for meth, but the mass-produced devices will test for meth, cocaine, marijuana, heroin and peroxide-based explosives – which are similar chemically to meth, company officials said.
