Alpha 6 (device)

Last updated

The Alpha 6 is a fake "molecular detector" which, according to its manufacturer, can detect various substances from a distance, including explosives and drugs. The device has come under scrutiny following revelations about two similar devices, the ADE 651, which has become the focus of a fraud investigation in the United Kingdom, [1] and the GT200, which tests have determined to perform no better than random chance. [2]

Contents

The UK Government has banned the export of such devices to Iraq and Afghanistan in an order brought into force in January 2010 under the Export Control Act 2002 [3] and has warned foreign governments that the GT200 and ADE 651 are "wholly ineffective" at detecting bombs and explosives. [4] The government of Thailand, a major user of the Alpha 6, has ordered double blind testing of the device to determine whether it is effective. [5]

Description and background

The Alpha 6 is a hand-held device composed of a swivelling antenna mounted via a hinge to a plastic handset. Promotional literature claims that the device "is programmed to oscillate at the same frequency as that of the substance to be located." It is said to be powered by static electricity generated within the user's body "when breathing occurs". The device is claimed to be able to detect the "molecular signature" of various substances, including drugs, explosives, and ammunition in quantities as small as 15 nanograms, from distances of up to 300 metres (980 ft) away, through walls and under water. The "signature" of the substance to be detected is stored on a "recognition card" sealed inside the handset. [6]

Export ban and criminal proceedings

Following controversy over a similar device, the ADE 651, the UK Government issued an order under the Export Control Act 2002 that came into force on 27 January 2010, banning the export to Iraq and Afghanistan of "'electro-statically powered' equipment for detecting 'explosives'", [7] on the grounds that such equipment "could cause harm to UK and other friendly forces". [3] The export ban covers all such devices, including the GT200.

Officers from the City of London Police Overseas Anti-Corruption Unit subsequently raided the offices of manufacturers Scandec and two other makers of similar "detectors". A large amount of cash and several hundred of the devices and their component parts were seized. The police said that they were investigating on suspicion of fraud by false representation and were also investigating whether bribes had been paid to secure contracts to supply the devices. [8] [9]

Pursuant to the Fraud Act of 2006, five people were charged in July 2012 by the Overseas Anti-Corruption Unit (OACU) 2012 on charges related to the Alpha 6 and the similar GT200, ADE 651, and XK9 devices. Among the allegations were that these devices were "dishonestly represented as capable of detecting explosives." [10]

The case went to trial in May 2013 with three people being accused of fraud in relation to the Alpha 6. [11] During the case the defendants claimed that by "programming" the Alpha 6 with a photograph of Madeleine McCann they had been able to locate the missing child; one defendant travelled to Ireland to continue the search. [12] The defendant who had distributed the device was later cleared in June 2013, whilst the other defendants, the manufacturers of the product, face a retrial after the jury failed to reach a verdict. [13]

In the retrial Samuel Tree was sentenced to three and a half years while his wife Joan received 300 hours community service. [14]

Use in Thailand

The government of Thailand was a major purchaser of the Alpha 6. The country's Interior Ministry bought 479 of the devices and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), part of the Justice Ministry, bought a further 15. [5] The ONCB began using the devices in 2007 to combat drug smuggling in northern Thailand. It bought its units at a price of 400,000 baht (US$12,000) apiece. It claimed that its Alpha 6 units were highly effective, achieving a 70 percent success rate and helping to identify drug traffickers and smuggled drugs. [15] The head of the OCNB, Police Lt General Krissana Phon-anan, said that the devices work so well that the agency no longer uses dogs to detect narcotics. The Interior Ministry plans to procure more Alpha 6 devices and train 1,000 volunteers to use them. [5] Its own Alpha 6 devices were procured at a much higher price than those of the Narcotics Control Board, at 720,000 baht (US$21,600) each. [16] The total cost of the devices has been around 351 million baht (US$10.6 million).

Following a controversy about the effectiveness of the GT200 "remote substance detector", similar questions were raised about the Alpha 6. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva ordered scientific tests of the GT200 in February 2010 to verify its claimed effectiveness. The tests found that the GT200's detection rate was no more effective than random chance. [2] In the wake of the GT200 scandal, the Science and Technology Ministry announced that it would broaden its tests at the request of the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Justice to verify the claimed effectiveness of the Alpha 6. [17]

The Alpha 6 devices were demonstrated and supplied to the Thai authorities by a local Thai. The GT200 was manufactured by the British company, Global Technical, and distributed by its Thai distributor, Avia Satcom Co. [18] [19]

The Alpha 6 drugs detector case was declared "closed" in May 2018 by Thailand's National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) after 10 years of investigation. Three minor officials are deemed responsible for the purchase of 493 of the "worthless [Alpha 6] boxes" at a cost of 350 million baht. The British scammer who sold the devices to Thailand was found guilty of fraud in the UK and imprisoned in 2013. [20] The Bangkok Post fumed that, "The disappointing and unsatisfactory outcome of this astoundingly long investigation shows up the enormous failings of the anti-graft commission." [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porntip Rojanasunan</span>

Khun Ying Pornthip Rojanasunand, also spelled Porntip Rojanasunan is a Thai forensic pathologist, a currently member of the Senate of Thailand and medical doctor. First appearing in the media in 1998, her work and outlandish hairstyles quickly granted her celebrity status, and she became the best known of Thailand's forensic scientists. An author of several best-selling memoirs, her work introduced the Thai public to the role of DNA evidence, among other forensic methods, in crime investigations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bang Bo district</span> District in Samut Prakan, Thailand

Bang Bo is a district (amphoe) of Samut Prakan province in Thailand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-Money Laundering Office (Thailand)</span>

The Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) is Thailand's "key agency responsible for enforcement of the anti-money laundering and the counter-terrorism financing law." It was founded in 1999 upon the adoption of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, B.E. 2542 (1999) (AMLA). AMLO is an independent governmental agency. It has the status of a department functioning independently and neutrally under the supervision of the minister of justice, but is not part of the justice ministry. In 2016, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered by the cabinet resolution change the command to under the supervision of the Prime Minister directly.

A long-range locator is a class of fraudulent devices purported to be a type of metal detector, supposedly able to detect a variety of substances, including gold, drugs and explosives; most are said to operate on a principle of resonance with the material being detected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Explosive detection</span>

Explosive detection is a non-destructive inspection process to determine whether a container contains explosive material. Explosive detection is commonly used at airports, ports and for border control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Interior (Iraq)</span> Government ministry in Iraq

The Ministry of Interior (MOI) is the government body charged with overseeing policing and border control in Iraq. The MOI comprises several agencies, including the Iraqi Police, Highway Patrol, Traffic Department, Emergency Response Unit, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit, and Department of Border Enforcement. Following passage of the Facilities Protection Service Reform Law, the Ministry absorbed FPS personnel previously spread among other ministries. The MOI has approximately 380,430 employees, and the Ministry of Finance approved US$3.8 billion for its 2008 budget, representing a 21% growth over the previous year.

Sniffex and Sniffex Plus are fraudulent explosive detection systems produced by Homeland Safety International.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Thai Police</span> National police force of Thailand

The Royal Thai Police (RTP) is the national police force of Thailand. The RTP employs between 210,700 and 230,000 officers, roughly 17 percent of all civil servants. The RTP is frequently recognized as the fourth armed force of Thailand since their tradition, concept, culture, skill, and training are relatively similar to the army and most of their officer cadets need to graduate from the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School before entering the Royal Thai Police Cadet Academy. Officers also undergo paramilitary training similar to the army but with an additional focus on law enforcement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Justice (Thailand)</span>

The Ministry of Justice is a cabinet ministry in the Government of Thailand. The ministry is in charge of the criminal justice system in the kingdom. As well as running prisons and aiding the Royal Thai Police, the ministry also runs the government's drug and narcotic control policies. The ministry is headed by the Minister of Justice, Somsak Thepsuthin. Its fiscal year 2020 budget is 26,757 million baht.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ADE 651</span> Fake bomb detector

The ADE 651 is a fake bomb detector produced by the British company Advanced Tactical Security & Communications Ltd (ATSC). Its manufacturer claimed it could detect bombs, guns, ammunition, and more from kilometers away. However, it was a scam, and the device was little more than a dowsing rod.

The GT200 is a fraudulent "remote substance detector" that was claimed by its manufacturer, UK-based Global Technical Ltd, to be able to detect, from a distance, various substances including explosives and drugs. The GT200 was sold to a number of countries for a cost of up to £22,000 per unit, but the device has been described as little more than "divining rods" which lack any scientific explanation for why they should work. After the similar ADE 651 was exposed as a fraud, the UK Government banned the export of such devices to Iraq and Afghanistan in January 2010 and warned foreign governments that the GT200 and ADE 651 are "wholly ineffective" at detecting bombs and explosives. The owner of Global Technical, Gary Bolton, was convicted on 26 July 2013 on two charges of fraud relating to the sale and manufacture of the GT200 and sentenced to seven years in prison.

The Quadro Tracker, also known as the Positive Molecular Locator, was a fake "detection device" sold by Quadro Corp. of Harleyville, South Carolina between 1993 and 1996. Around 1,000 were sold to police departments and school districts around the United States on the basis that it could detect hidden drugs, explosives, weapons and lost golf balls. In 1996, the FBI declared it to be a fake and obtained a permanent injunction barring the device from being manufactured or sold. Three principals of Quadro Corp. were charged with mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud, but were acquitted in a trial held in January 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meirion Jones</span> Welsh journalist

Meirion Jones is a Welsh journalist. He worked for the BBC from 1988 until 2015 and is now the editor of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Former Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman described Jones as "a dogged journalist with that obsessional, slightly nutty commitment that marks out all successful investigative reporters".

Caroline Hawley is a British journalist who has been a special correspondent for the BBC News channel since 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Department of Special Investigation</span>

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is a department of the Ministry of Justice of Thailand. It operates independently of the Royal Thai Police and is tasked with the investigation of certain "special cases". These include complex criminal cases, those affecting national security, those involving organised criminal organisations and those potentially implicating high-ranking government officials or police officers. As of June 24, 2020 the DSI is tasked to investigate and follow up on cases under the Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearances if and when it becomes law on cases involving torture or forced disappearances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corruption in Thailand</span> Institutional corruption in the country

Corruption in Thailand is a national issue. Thai law provides criminal penalties for conviction of official corruption. Thailand's 2014 military junta, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), stated that fighting corruption would be one of its main focus points, a common practice for military dictatorships following Thailand's frequent military coups. Despite the promises, officials engaged in corrupt practices with impunity, and the NCPO engaged in corrupt practices itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somyot Poompanmoung</span>

Somyot Poompanmoung is a former commissioner-general of the Royal Thai Police and current president of the Football Association of Thailand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Department of Corrections (Thailand)</span>

The Department of Corrections is an agency of the Thai Ministry of Justice. Its mission is to keep prisoners in custody and rehabilitate them. Its headquarters is in Suanyai Sub-district, Mueang Nonthaburi District, Nonthaburi Province. As of 2020, Police Colonel Suchart Wongananchai is director-general of the department. Its FY2019 budget was 13,430 million baht.

The National Anti-Corruption Commission is a constitutional organization of Thailand. It is sometimes confused with the Anti-Corruption Organization of Thailand (ACT), a private foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Porlajee Rakchongcharoen</span>

Porlajee "Billy" Rakchongcharoen, a Karen environmental and community activist, was last seen alive in Kaeng Krachan National Park, western Phetchaburi Province, Thailand on 17 April 2014. He was arrested at a park checkpoint by park superintendent Chaiwat Limlikitaksorn and four of his men for alleged illegally collecting wild honey in the forest. Three years earlier, in 2011, Billy had filed a lawsuit against Chaiwat over the May 2011 destruction and burning of houses, and eviction of over 20 Karen families living in Jai Paen Din, meaning 'heart of the land' in the park's Pong Luk Bang Kloy village, in the Huai Mae Phriang Sub-district of Kaeng Krachan District. The national park chief later swore that Billy had been arrested and released on the same day after being questioned for possession of an illegal wild bee honeycomb and six bottles of honey. There are no official records of his arrest or detention. Following Billy's supposed arrest he was never seen alive again. Searches conducted from April–August 2019 discovered human bone fragments in the Kaeng Krachan Dam reservoir. DNA tests of the fragments matched those conducted on Billy's mother, leading the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to conclude that the bones were Billy's and that he had been murdered. Chaiwat, the former park chief, immediately cast doubt on the DNA test, saying, "...this [DNA test result] is not enough proof to conclusively say the skull fragment is Billy's,..." Chaiwat and others had been charged with Billy's murder but were cleared due to insufficient evidence. Chaiwat was however sentenced to 3 years in prison for dereliction of duty for not reporting the arrest of Rakchongcharoen.

References

  1. ↑ "UK bans bomb detectors". Bangkok Post . 2010-01-24. Retrieved 2010-01-26.
  2. 1 2 Staff (2010-02-17). "Bt800-million embarrassment". The Nation. Archived from the original on 2010-02-18. Retrieved 2010-02-17.
  3. 1 2 "Government statement on 'bomb detectors' export ban". BBC News. 2010-01-22. Archived from the original on 26 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-22.
  4. ↑ Hawley, Caroline; Jones, Meirion (2010-01-27). "UK warns world about useless 'bomb detectors'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 28 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-28.
  5. 1 2 3 Laohong, King-oua; Piragsa, Surichai (2010-02-17). "ONCB gives go ahead for Alpha 6 test". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 2010-02-17.
  6. ↑ "Alpha 6 Molecular Detector" (PDF). TNS Networking Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-03-06. Retrieved 2010-02-17.
  7. ↑ "The Export Control (Amendment) Order 2010. Statutory Instrument 2010 No. 121". Office of Public Sector Information. 2010-01-27. Retrieved 2010-01-28.
  8. ↑ Peel, Michael; Pfeifer, Sylvia (2010-06-08). "Police conduct raids in bomb detector probe". The Financial Times. Archived from the original on June 11, 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
  9. ↑ "Police raids expand bomb detector probe". BBC News. 2010-06-08. Archived from the original on 10 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
  10. ↑ "Five charged by Overseas Anti Corruption Unit (OACU)" (Press release). City of London Police. 12 July 2012. Archived from the original on 19 August 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Bomb detector scam: Three people go on trial". BBC News. 29 May 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  12. ↑ "Fake bomb detectors located Madeleine McCann". Hampstead and Highgate Express. 6 June 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
  13. ↑ Marshall, Tom (19 June 2013). "Jury clears fake bomb detector salesman who thought he found Madeleine McCann". Hampstead and Highgate Express. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  14. ↑ "Fake bomb detector husband jailed for three years". BBC News. 3 October 2014.
  15. ↑ Laohong, King-oua; Srinuanjan, Sunan (2010-01-28). "Drug busters say they have better detector". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 2010-02-17.
  16. ↑ Staff (2010-01-29). "GT200 little more than a dowsing rod: scientist". The Nation. Archived from the original on 2010-02-01. Retrieved 2010-02-17.
  17. ↑ Anucha, Charoenpo (2010-02-15). "Detector tests broadened, ministry says". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 2010-02-17.
  18. ↑ Laohong, King-oua (13 November 2012). "Brits ask DSI to testify on Comstrac". The Bangkok Post. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  19. ↑ "Sniffer dogs better: Thai PM". AFP. 14 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-16.
  20. ↑ Laohong, King-Oua (2013-04-25). "NACC flags charges in GT200 case". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 22 Feb 2021.
  21. ↑ "Failure of Alpha Probe" (Opinion). Bangkok Post. 29 May 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.