Calls can be wiped from the mobile phone's memory but scientists have discovered that drug particles accumulate in the phone's tiny crevices and can indicate if the owner is more than just an occasional drug user.

When forensic scientists from Mass Spec Analytical in Bristol, south-western England, used toothpicks to dig into crevices of 150 phones they found 5 per cent were positive for cocaine, heroin and ecstasy.

"The phones that were innocently contaminated tended to have deposits at only one point, but the phones of people who had recently handled drugs typically had traces all over them," New Scientist magazine said.

"This will help forensic teams differentiate between likely dealers and innocent people," it added.

Although the evidence from mobile phones is not enough to support a conviction, the magazine said it could help forensic scientists build up a picture of the defendant.

Read the full article at ABC News



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