North Louisiana Crime Lab

09/04/2026

Still a few spots available!

Law enforcement, investigators, and prosecutors — if you work with drug or toxicology evidence, this training is built for you.

Our Drug Chemistry & Toxicology Training is coming up September 10 & 17, and we still have a few seats available.

You’ll get practical, real-world training on evidence collection and submission, laboratory workflows, report interpretation, case scenarios, courtroom relevance, emerging drugs, and more — including a walkthrough of our Toxicology submission kits and submission process.

Class 1 – September 10: Collection, packaging, submission & laboratory processes
Class 2 – September 17: Results interpretation, testimony, emerging substances & case preparation

Whether you're collecting evidence in the field, reviewing laboratory reports, or preparing a case for court, this is an opportunity to better understand what happens to your evidence once it reaches the lab — and how that science impacts your case.

A few spots remain — register today!

Register here:
https://www.nlcl.org/nlcl-training-announced

We look forward to seeing you at NLCL!

2026 Training OpportunitiesThe North Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory (NLCL) is pleased to offer multiple in-person training opportunities for law enforcement officers, investigators, attorneys, and allied professionals throughout 2026. These courses are designed to improve evidence handling, str...

09/01/2026

50,000 cases since 2021. 430 substances. 33 parishes. 154 agencies.

And the list keeps growing. This summer brought our first-ever delta-8-THCP detection, a cannabinoid we'd never seen before. Its cousin delta-9-THCP has turned up 21 times since last May. This one was new.

Every case tells us something about what's actually out there. See the whole picture on our Drug Chemistry dashboard, https://www.nlcl.org/drug-chemistry

08/17/2026

Celebrating Our 2026 NLCL Interns

This past Thursday, we had the pleasure of hosting our 2026 Intern Seminar at the NLCL Shreveport Headquarters, where our summer interns presented their research projects to our staff.

This year, we welcomed Jasmine Jackson from LSU-New Orleans as our Drug Chemistry intern and Erin Timm from Louisiana Tech as our DNA intern. Both did an incredible job presenting their summer projects and demonstrating the knowledge, professionalism, and passion they have for forensic science. We could not be prouder of the work they accomplished this summer.

Our internship program truly is a one-of-a-kind experience for future forensic scientists. This year, we received the largest pool of intern applications in NLCL history, making Jasmine and Erin’s selection and their accomplishments this summer even more impressive.

We are proud to have the opportunity to invest in the next generation of forensic scientists, and we cannot wait to see what the future holds for both of them.

Congratulations, Jasmine and Erin. We wish you both continued success as you pursue your careers in forensic science.

Interested in learning more about the NLCL Internship Program?
https://www.nlcl.org/internships

FutureForensicScientists DrugChemistry DNA Louisiana Criminalistics

07/30/2026

Future prosecutors in the building! We hosted the Caddo Parish District Attorney’s intern class for a tour of the lab, and the group got a firsthand look at what happens to evidence after it leaves the scene. We even snuck in some time with Shreveport Police Department Crime Scene Unit.

Big thanks to ADA Mekisha Creal for bringing the group out and for the photos. Credit to our deputy directors, Michelle and Kenton, for leading the tour, and to our staff and SPD for taking time out of a busy day to demonstrate their work.

Good science starts with people who care enough to ask how it works. This group asked a lot of questions.

07/21/2026

🧬 Congratulations to our incredible DNA Section! 🧬

We're proud to announce that the NLCL has officially joined 98 other forensic laboratories across the United States in adopting STRmix™, cutting-edge probabilistic genotyping software that's transforming how forensic DNA evidence is interpreted.

This milestone doesn't happen on its own. It represents months of rigorous validation, training, and dedication by our DNA Section, the scientists whose commitment to excellence ensures that every result we report can stand up to the highest scrutiny in the courtroom.

A special thank-you to The Columbus Dispatch for helping share this milestone and shine a light on the important work happening in forensic science.

Check out the link for more details.

Software Has Proven Highly Effective in Interpreting Complex Crime Scene Evidence This advancement gives us the ability to interpret complex mixtures that were previously uninterpretable using binary methods. ” — Jessica Esparza, Ph.D. WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, July 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.c...

07/15/2026

Mid July Update: Cychlorphine Now Confirmed in 7 North Louisiana Parishes

The NLCL continues to track the spread of cychlorphine, a dangerous synthetic opioid, across our region. Since our last update, cychlorphine has been confirmed in drug submissions from RAPIDES and WINN Parishes...bringing the total to seven parishes this year: Caddo, DeSoto, Ouachita, Natchitoches, Richland, Rapides, and Winn.

WHAT IS CYCHLORPHINE?
Cychlorphine is a synthetic opioid in the emerging "orphine" drug class. No human toxicity data are currently available, but laboratory studies indicate it may be up to FIVE TIMES more potent than fentanyl.

WHERE IS IT BEING FOUND?
Since the first NLCL detection in a Caddo Parish case earlier this year, cychlorphine has been identified in multiple counterfeit pill types, including tablets made to look like prescription oxycodone (blue M30), hydrocodone (white M367, yellow T259), and NOW XANAX (blue "XANAX 1.0"), among others. These fake pills are made to look real. You cannot tell what is in a pill by looking at it.

Never take a pill that did not come from a licensed pharmacy. It is impossible to know what is in an illicit pill purchased off the street.

ONE PILL CAN KILL...especially when that pill contains a potent synthetic opioid like cychlorphine.

Please share this post. Awareness saves lives.

North Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory
For Science | For Justice

07/07/2026

One in Three. That's the Number.

At the North Louisiana Crime Lab, we examined 3,394 pharmaceutical tablets that carried a real, recognized drug imprint. The kind of imprint that is supposed to tell you exactly what a pill is.

1,047 of them were counterfeit.

That is a 30.8% counterfeit rate. Nearly one out of every three "identifiable" pills was not what it claimed to be.

Here is what those fakes actually contained:

Fentanyl and fentanyl-analogs were the number one finding, by a wide margin. Designer benzodiazepines (lab-made cousins of Xanax like bromazolam and phenazolam) were a close second. Together, those two drug classes accounted for roughly 80% of everything we found. Stimulants, other mismatches, and emerging novel opioids like nitazenes and now the orphines made up the rest.

And here is the disguise they wore:
The single most-faked pill was the M30, the imprint for genuine oxycodone 30 mg. Right behind it, a stack of alprazolam bar imprints (S903, B707, GG249, G3722) that turned out to be designer benzos instead of Xanax.

Read that again. Two dangerous drugs, pressed into two familiar disguises: fake oxycodone and fake Xanax bars.

This is not a big-city problem. These counterfeits showed up across our coverage area, from Ouachita, Caddo, and Bossier to rural parishes like Sabine, Lincoln, Morehouse, and Winn. Twenty-nine parishes. No community is exempt.

The bottom line is simple and it does not bend: You cannot tell what is in a pill by looking at it. A tablet that looks exactly like a real M30 or a real Xanax bar can contain fentanyl or a designer benzo that never came from a pharmacy. The only pills you can trust are the ones dispensed by a licensed pharmacy against a valid prescription.

Treat every non-pharmacy pill as potentially lethal. One pill can kill.

North Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory | Serving 29 Parishes

07/01/2026

⚠️ JULY CYCHLORPHINE TRACKING UPDATE

The NLCL has confirmed cychlorphine in a large pill seizure from Richland Parish totaling 545 counterfeit tablets bearing "RP/10" and "RP/10 325" imprints.

Cychlorphine is a synthetic opioid in the emerging orphine class. No human toxicity data currently exist, but laboratory studies indicate it may be up to ten times more potent than fentanyl. Since our first detection in Caddo Parish this March, it has now surfaced in Caddo, DeSoto, Ouachita, Natchitoches, and Richland Parishes, in fake pills including blue M30, green M15, pink K56, yellow T259, white M367, white RP10, and white RP10 325.

Effects present like other narcotic analgesics: heavy sedation, slow or shallow breathing, and pinpoint pupils.

It is impossible to know what is inside an illicit pill purchased off the street. ONE PILL CAN KILL.

For Science | For Justice

06/16/2026

The North Louisiana Crime Lab continues to monitor the emergence of cychlorphine, a powerful synthetic opioid that has now been detected in multiple North Louisiana parishes.

Since our first detection in March 2026 in a case from Caddo Parish, additional cychlorphine-positive submissions have been identified from DeSoto, Ouachita, and Natchitoches Parishes.

Laboratory analysis has confirmed cychlorphine in several counterfeit tablet types, including:

💊 Blue "M30" tablets
💊 Green "M15" tablets
💊 Pink "K56" tablets
💊 Yellow "T259" tablets
💊 White "M367" tablets

These tablets are made to resemble legitimate prescription medications, but appearances can be dangerously misleading.

⚠️ The reality is simple: there is no way to know what is contained in an illicit pill purchased on the street. Counterfeit tablets may contain potent synthetic opioids, including cychlorphine, that can significantly increase the risk of overdose and death.

🔹 ONE PILL CAN KILL.

The NLCL will continue monitoring drug trends throughout our region and sharing information that helps protect our communities.

06/12/2026

Thank you Union Parish Library for having our team show up today! 🧬🧪🥼