Behind the scenes: TBI Crime Lab fights drug crisis

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation opened up the doors of its Nashville office to WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News for a rare look at what goes on behind the scenes.

New laws from the Tennessee Legislature and an increase in drug investigations means that the TBI is on the front lines of fighting drug abuse.

“Between about 2005 and 2015, we averaged about 20,000 cases per year, that is now up to about 30,000 cases, submissions,” Mike Lyttle, the assistant director of the TBI Forensics Services, said.

The biggest change involves hemp. A recent law from the Tennessee Legislature allows the growth of hemp, which means law enforcement across the state need help identifying the the difference.

“This has been one of the greatest crisis in forensics the past few years. How do you tell the difference between marijuana and hemp?” Lyttle said. “We have a color test that we can use to differentiate based upon the ratio of CBD to THC.”

The TBI unveiled the new test, which takes less than an hour for results to come back.

The lab has different levels of testing samples, but this new test could result in processing the nearly 10,000 submissions they get every year.

The TBI also gave updates on the fight against methamphetamine, which has changed radically in recent years.

“The meth that we’re seeing is very high quality. You can see the large crystals, which is very very impressive, from a person that has a chemistry degree–that is very impressive,” Glenn Everett with the TBI’s Forensic Chemistry division, said. “The days of the old one pot methamphetamines, making them in your basement, those have gone away, and we’re starting to see the high quality methamphetamine crystals.”

“We’re seeing huge increases in methamphetamine, huge increases in heroin. You guys hear about the opioid crisis all the time, and fentanyl has really been a problem for us, a challenge for us, as we figure out how to deal with that,” Lyttle said.

The Centers for Disease Control estimated there were nearly 2,000 overdose deaths in Tennessee in 2018.

For the TBI, finding out where these drugs come from is another priority.

“We have to address all those equally as best we can,” Lyttle said.

For a deeper look inside the TBI Headquarters, join us Wednesday, Nov. 13 on WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News at 6 and 10 p.m.