WhatsApp drug dealer convicted using fingerprints taken from photo
WhatsApp drug dealer convicted using fingerprints taken
from photo
Smartphone cameras are getting really good
By Chaim Gartenberg@cgartenberg Apr 16, 2018, 8:44am EDT
Police in South Wales have arrested a drug dealer based
on a WhatsApp message with a photograph of the dealer’s hand holding an
assortment of pills, according to a report from the BBC.
Despite that the photo only offers a glimpse of a small
part of the dealer’s fingerprints — which weren’t entirely useful in actually
locating the dealer — forensic scientists were able to use those pieces to
confirm that the identity of the suspect matched the person police officers had
apprehended.
According to Dave Thomas, a representative of the South
Wales Police’s scientific support unit, the 11 arrests made through the bust
mark the first convictions in Wales based on fingerprints from a photo. It also
speaks to the improvement in smartphone camera technology over the past few
years, where seemingly innocuous pictures are now detailed enough to serve as
forensic evidence when it comes to identifying people.
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