A criminal investigation is being conducted by the Alaska State Troopers due to irregularities found in the state crime lab.
The Department of Public Safety discovered irregularities involving six controlled substance reference standards: morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, opium, codeine, and amphetamine.
Reference standards are used to determine whether a substance is an illegal drug and are pivotal to the outcome of many criminal cases.
The irregularities were discovered with the reference standards when the lab started using new, more effective equipment.
When new testing instruments were used by the lab, researchers realized there were irregularities in the standards, which prompted a broader review that includes a criminal investigation by the Alaska Bureau of Investigation.
In a release announcing the investigation, the Department of Public Safety insists the irregularities do not impact the Crime Lab’s ability to identify suspected controlled substances.
The department said the validity of past lab tests is not in question.
But defense lawyers who may have cases that involved the standards are being notified, according to the department.
John Skidmore, director of the Department of Law Criminal Division, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Please watch Channel 2 News and check KTUU.com for updates to this developing story.