Chemical Profiling of Cannabis Seizures and Source Attribution in Cross River and Akwa Ibom States

Chemical profiling of cannabis seizures enables forensic investigators to establish source attribution and identify trafficking networks through the analysis of cannabinoid ratios, terpene fingerprints, and trace element profiles. This study applies chemical profiling methods to cannabis seizures made by the NDLEA in Cross River and Akwa Ibom States between 2020 and 2024. An empirical laboratory-based design was employed, analysing eighty-five cannabis samples using GC-MS for cannabinoid and terpene profiling and ICP-MS for trace element composition analysis, and applying multivariate statistical clustering to assess source groupings. The study evaluates the discriminatory power of chemical markers in differentiating cultivation sources and assesses links to known trafficking networks in the South South zone. Findings reveal three statistically distinct chemical clusters among the analysed samples, consistent with cultivation in the Cross River rainforest zone, the Akwa Ibom coastal plain, and an imported source with compositional characteristics consistent with West African regional material. Cannabidiol-to-tetrahydrocannabinol ratios and geraniol terpene concentrations were the most discriminatory markers. Source attribution findings corroborated investigative intelligence in sixty-one percent of cases. Recommendations include the establishment of a South South cannabis chemical reference database and the integration of chemical profiling into NDLEA seizure analysis protocols for the region. Keywords: cannabis profiling, chemical analysis, source attribution, Cross River, Akwa Ibom.