Liquid Danger: Why PCP Remains a Serious Enforcement Challenge

Michael Brown

PCP may not be making headlines, but its quiet return is creating a volatile mix of gang violence, toxic labs and unpredictable street encounters for law enforcement.

America’s long running opioid battle has shifted into a new, quieter, yet more complicated, phase. There has been a quiet resurgence of Phencyclidine (PCP), largely driven by two well established Los Angeles-based gangs, the Bloods and the Crips. Generally known as “angel dust,” PCP is a hallucinogenic and psychoactive substance synthesized from easily obtained chemicals, manufactured in clandestine laboratories and trafficked nationwide. Violence, crime and trafficked weapons follow in its wake and Los Angeles has become the PCP production epicenter.

These homegrown gangs manufacture PCP in laboratories located in isolated rural areas or industrial zones to hide the distinct, overwhelming chemical odors produced during manufacturing. They then distribute the hallucinogen through various trafficking hubs, with the primary ones being in Washington, DC; Maryland; and Virginia. 

Interestingly, their entire supply chain – from precursor sourcing to manufacture, distribution and sales – effectively cuts international drug trafficking networks out of major PCP trafficking operations. The gangs retain a greater share of the profits which makes them wealthier because there are no longer upstream suppliers to pay. It also gives them access to more resources, including weapons, and makes them harder to control.

Historically, traffickers have relied on various types of drugs and precursor chemicals smuggled into the country via the southern border and, hence, have been beholden to the cartels. Taking control of their own manufacturing and distribution within the borders of America makes their drug operations safer since increased interdiction pressure has been placed on traditional trafficking routes. Moreover, with more law enforcement pressure being put on the cartels, they are less likely to move into local gangs’ territories. 

The target markets of PCP traffickers are the same as always – primarily poorer communities. The PCP risk in these communities is great because they have access to fewer resources for education and harm reduction services, reducing their options for breaking their addiction and getting professional help.

The threat to these communities is not only addiction and the associated increase in crime, but the long-term effects of substances which impair the user’s ability to learn and function normally in society. Because PCP acts as a dissociative anesthetic, it can induce severe paranoia, delusions of invulnerability, and a complete detachment from reality. This means that even benign situations can rapidly escalate into violent encounters for no apparent reason. Moreover, this violence creeps into family homes and, since the hallucinogen is strongly associated with aggression, it often leads to domestic disturbances. 

Because law enforcement typically prioritizes synthetic opioids, cocaine and methamphetamine, PCP seldom receives media coverage, leaving it an unrecognized problem. The situation is further complicated by the prevalence of polysubstance abuse which mirrors the fourth wave of the opioid crisis, as PCP is frequently combined with other illicit drugs. These mixtures often include lower doses of fentanyl to minimize fatal overdoses, but they increase addiction rates. Moreover, trends show that PCP trafficking increasingly involves the use of firearms.

Hubs and Threats

Firearms are common among street gangs and the Bloods and Crips recently called a truce to profit from gunrunning. Their involvement in PCP trafficking is therefore not surprising. But, guns are only one of several risks officers face. The same illicit networks which move PCP and firearms also traffic fentanyl; methamphetamine; cocaine; heroin; and, in some cases, people.

Because these criminal markets share stash houses, couriers, vehicles, routes, and enforcement crews, a PCP investigation can quickly expose a broader organized crime network. For police, that means every stop, search, warrant, or lab raid carries multiple risks: Toxic chemicals, multiple narcotics, armed suspects, and evidence tied to several offenses may all be present at once.

For officers on the street, that overlap increases the danger and a supposedly routine PCP case can escalate without warning, especially because users may be disoriented or violent, while traffickers may also have firearms within immediate reach. At the same scene, officers face risks when raiding clandestine labs or interdicting suspects carrying PCP in the field due to airborne fumes, spilled liquids and multiple unknown substances. All of these complicate search, arrest, evidence collection, and decontamination. The result is a multilayered risk environment complicating the decision-making process for treatment or tactical assessments.

Another challenge for law enforcement is the scale of the PCP distribution map which stretches from Southern California to East Coast markets and crosses city, county and state lines. Four gang members were recently convicted of drug and firearm offenses in Dallas, Texas. Given the national scope of these illicit operations, no single agency can handle the task on its own. Effective disruption depends on interagency cooperation which links local patrol and gang units, narcotics investigators, DEA and ATF operatives, prosecutors, forensic laboratories, and intelligence analysts.

Cooperation is therefore essential, not only to dismantle clandestine labs and trafficking routes, but also to reduce risks to officers by improving situational awareness before operations; avoiding duplication of effort; identifying armed offenders sooner; and ensuring that chemical, narcotics and gang intelligence are fused into a single operational picture. For that reason, greater attention and resources from integrated agencies such as the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program are critical.

The problem, however, is that PCP remains low on the priority list for many law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and politicians. The reason is that it is overshadowed by fentanyl and methamphetamines which result in far more overdose deaths, thereby commanding national headlines and generating the strongest political pressure in search of visible results. Allowing it to slip down the list of priorities only gives the crime and violence associated with it more room to spread. Law enforcement would be ill-advised to ignore it until it becomes a crisis or to hope that it goes away.

That reality shapes authorities’ financial, time and attention budgets, and priorities, leaving PCP treated as a secondary or localized problem unless it appears alongside more politically urgent drugs or violent crime. Yet, that lower profile creates its own danger. A substance can be less prominent in the media and public debate which opens the door to more expansion and poses major risks to officers, communities and investigators.  

Historical reporting has repeatedly identified Southern California as the principal production area and East Coast markets as key destinations, so a collaborative task force will not be starting from scratch. The threat is known, but too often ignored due to resource restrictions.

PCP Challenges

PCP creates challenging enforcement problems because it appears in multiple forms and is often sold in ways which make it harder to recognize during legal stops and searches. Increasingly, traffickers favor liquid PCP because it can be concealed in ordinary containers, diluted, repackaged into small vials, and distributed in a form commonly used for “dipping” cigarettes or marijuana. 

That flexibility gives gangs an operational advantage: It is easier to move, harder to identify at a glance, and more difficult to distinguish from harmless liquids until officers are already in close contact. For law enforcement, that means uncertainty at exactly the moment when certainty is most needed, because accidental contact with contaminated packaging or spilled liquid can expose officers to a substance which can be absorbed through the skin or mucous membranes.

Identifying PCP is only part of the challenge. Investigators must also recognize the precursor chemicals and related materials used to produce it, including piperidine, cyclohexanone and organometallic reagents. Those chemicals matter because their presence can indicate a much larger manufacturing or diversion scheme than the finished drug alone suggests, but they are not always known to patrol officers on the scene.

That problem is further compounded by the fact that several PCP precursors also have lawful industrial uses. Piperidine and cyclohexanone appear in products and processes tied to solvents, resins, rubber, nylon, and other legitimate commercial activities, making suspicious purchases harder to spot. Traffickers can spread orders across multiple suppliers, rely on intermediaries or front companies and buy chemicals in small volumes which attract less scrutiny. For investigators and prosecutors, this means PCP production often looks less urgent, less visible and harder to prove than headline-driven fentanyl or methamphetamine cases. This despite the fact that the risks to officers at the scene can be just as serious.

Addressing the PCP challenge, therefore, requires more than arrests after the fact. It requires earlier intervention, starting at the top of the supply chain before manufacturing and moving down the chain to the point of distribution. This can be supported by stronger cooperation with chemical suppliers, distributors and investigators who can flag suspicious purchasing patterns before a clandestine lab becomes fully operational. Without that, PCP will remain a low visibility threat until officers encounter it in volatile, dangerous conditions on the street or at a lab site.

Risks and Mitigations

When encountering PCP, law enforcement officers face serious risks not only from intoxicated and unpredictable, possibly armed individuals, but also from toxic chemicals associated with illicit PCP production. Even small quantities, such as a vial found during a routine search, can be hazardous without proper personal protective equipment. 

It is also critically important to identify PCP to assist those overdosing, as the process is different from opioids and other narcotics. A PCP overdose is a behavioral and neurological emergency which requires sedation, control and urgent medical assistance.

Identifying unknown substances is risky in itself. Reliable, fast presumptive analysis at the street level is, therefore, critical because it gives officers an immediate indication of the substance they are dealing with. This knowledge determines their path forward regarding evidence handling; charging decisions; and, most importantly, safety precautions.

Presumptive analysis, ideally using Raman technology, for example, plays a crucial role for officers in the field, offering portable systems which deliver rapid substance identification within minutes, without waiting for lab analysis (although state laboratory confirmation will be needed as evidence in court). They also enable non-destructive, non-contact analysis of the substance when it is in a translucent bottle or bag, with a very low false-positive rate. Detecting trace amounts of a substance in complex mixtures is also possible and reliable, as is detecting precursors. 

The widespread deployment of presumptive analytical tools in the field, with the appropriate officer training to use them effectively, will allow officers to act with confidence, knowing what they are dealing with and how to approach it. This also requires all operatives to be equipped with appropriate protective equipment, including gloves and masks, with additional protection for teams collecting and transporting evidence.

A Quiet Epidemic Is Brewing 

While PCP is not making headlines today, its potential for expansion is immense, as the hallucinogen can be manufactured and distributed without relying on imported precursors, thereby avoiding potential border delays or losses. It also means increased profits retained within the local supply chain, entrenching gangs’ monopolies on what they consider “their turf” and a further erosion of community trust in policing services. 

If law enforcement does not address the growth of PCP, the hallucinogen will spread and officers will be at risk. Due to the nature of PCP, less-lethal tools of arrest and restraint may not always work, compelling officers to use more force, sometimes with unintended consequences to both a suspect and an officer. Because more officers are required to subdue someone under the influence of PCP, there may be a corresponding decrease in police presence in other areas of the community which may be exploited. 

The most effective disruption strategy relies on a layered approach, not a single arrest. By linking the monitoring of chemical sales and diversionary tactics, gang and trafficking investigations and prosecution, authorities will create an effective deterrent against PCP. This multiagency model is essential not only to dismantle criminal networks, but also to protect officers and communities from the health risks posed by the illegal manufacture of this lethal, hallucinogenic compound.

Michael W. Brown is the global director of counter-narcotics technology at Rigaku Analytical Devices. He has a distinguished career spanning more than 32 years as a Special Agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Most recently, he was the DEA Headquarters staff coordinator for the Office of Foreign Operations for the Middle East-Europe-Afghanistan-India. Prior to that, he served as the country attaché in India and Myanmar, providing foreign advisory support for counter-narcotic enforcement. He also spent ten years in Pakistan as a special advisor to the US Embassy on various law enforcement issues. Michael is a graduate of the United States Ranger Training Battalion and has a master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Technology and Management from the University of Eastern Michigan. You can contact him at michael.brown@rigaku.com