Born from Urgency, Built by Science
The journey of Drug Hunter began in 2015, when the Estonian Police and Ministry of the Interior faced a critical problem: too many false positives from roadside drug tests, causing wasted resources and delayed justice. It was Veiko Komussaar from the police force who reached out to TalTech University, challenging the scientific community to find a breakthrough technology capable of accurately detecting illegal drugs in oral fluid—envisioning a roadside solution as reliable and easy to use as the classic alcometer.
Two teams at TalTech were chosen to address the problem: one group proposed advanced immunoassay-based drug tests, while the SafePAS team championed an innovative approach using capillary electrophoresis. Backed by a proof-of-concept grant, SafePAS validated its technology’s ability to bring lab-level accuracy to roadside scenarios. As their results stood out, the SafePAS solution was selected for further development.
The story
A follow-up grant in 2018 made it possible to automate the device for field use. By 2020, Drug Hunter, equipped with cutting-edge capillary electrophoresis, was ready for real-world piloting. From 2020 to 2023, it underwent rigorous trials on Estonia’s roads, demonstrating that rapid, reliable drug screening from oral fluid was achievable outside the laboratory.
Supported by the Ministry of the Interior, the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board, and the EU Internal Security Fund, Drug Hunter was nationally deployed in 2023. That year, Drug Hunter’s innovation and impact were recognized with the Europol Excellence Award, underscoring the power of collaboration between law enforcement, government, and academia.
What began as a national need—spurred by frontline practitioners and fueled by visionary scientists—has now grown into an automated, police-ready, and award-winning solution, setting new standards for rapid drug screening. Drug Hunter is built in partnership, proven on the road, supported by Europe’s leading grants, and ready for the world.
2015 - 2016
Proof of the principle 1st prototype developed, funded by EU ISF & the Estonian Ministry of Interior. Prototron has funded a handheld version of a drug tester for GHB analysis in saliva.
2017 - 2018
The technology was tested on-site (Weekend Baltic Festival) in cooperation with the Estonian Police. Funded IUT-3320.
2017 - 2020
2020 - 2021
2021 - 2023
2021 - 2023
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2022 - 2023
2023 - 2024
2023
2024
2025
2025
SafePAS secures €50,000 to scale up DrugHunter
The project “DrugHunter narkomeetri rahvusvaheline äriarendus ja müügikäibe kasv” (RE.5.04.25-0822, 01.05.2025 – 30.04.2026) supports the international expansion and scale-up of DrugHunter, SafePAS’s innovative drug testing technology. The initiative aims to strengthen global business development and accelerate market growth.
2025
SafePAS Awarded the Prestigious Seal of Excellence!
SafePAS has received the Seal of Excellence from the European Commission! This recognition highlights our groundbreaking work in developing portable, lab-accurate analyzers for real-time drug detection.
The Seal of Excellence is awarded to top-tier innovations with strong market potential, validating our mission to revolutionize field diagnostics.
2025
SafePAS secures €2.5M to minituarize DrugHunter – Estonia’s breakthrough in rapid drug testing
SafePAS, an Estonian DeepTech hardware startup, has received €2.5 million in funding from Enterprise Estonia (EIS) under the EIC Seal of Excellence program.
The project “Drug Hunter: Innovative Analyzer Technology Making Drug Detection as Simple and Reliable as Alcohol Testing” (RES.5.04.25-0411, 01.08.2025 – 31.07.2027) focuses on miniaturizing the Drug Hunter analyzer and preparing it for global commercialization and scale-up.