STONY BROOK, NY--(Marketwire - February 25, 2010) - Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. (
Detective Superintendent Bob Cummings, of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Flying Squad, said: "These convictions resulted from a combination of both good detective work and the use of advanced technology. The introduction of unique DNA markers such as SigNature DNA technology, has been a significant development and proved critical in this case in securing crucial evidence with which to convict a prolific gang of robbers."
"We hope this conviction and others like it will serve as a warning to other potential criminals. The Flying Squad already solves more than one in three cash-in-transit robberies and we are putting an unprecedented amount of resources into combating this type of crime. The introduction of SigNature DNA and other similar technology can only improve that statistic and ensure criminals are convicted and punished when arrested," continued Detective Cummings.
Tony Benson, Loomis UK Ltd Risk Director, said, "We are very pleased that by using the very latest and advanced SigNature DNA taggants that criminals are being brought to justice. The attacks they carry out against our employees are totally unacceptable. We will continue to use this groundbreaking technology together with many other security systems to protect our employees and customers' goods ensuring that anyone who attacks Loomis stands a very high risk of being caught and imprisoned."
The three men committed a series of 23 robberies across Northeast London amassing more than GBP 300,000. The crime spree took place throughout supermarkets, post offices and petrol stations. The investigative diligence of the MPS' North East Flying Squad (SCD7) enabled capture of the thieves while the DNA-stained banknotes supplied the forensic evidence necessary to incarcerate them. In total, the three criminals will remain behind bars for over twenty-one years making the area much safer.
DC Niall McSheffrey, Flying Squad, stated, "Once caught, the criminals had no way to escape punishment. The forensic evidence provided by the DNA-marked banknotes allowed us to absolutely link various crimes to specific individuals."
In the January 26, 2010 Metropolitan Police news bulletin, DI Ralf Kirchel, Flying Squad, said, "The arrest and conviction of these men has resulted in a reduction in cash-in-transit robberies in north east London. The investigation leading to their arrests was protracted requiring expertise, diligence and determination to prevent the spread of criminality to younger and more vulnerable members of the community."
About APDN
APDN sells patented DNA security solutions to protect products, brands and intellectual property from counterfeiting and diversion. SigNature DNA is a botanical mark used to authenticate products in a unique manner that essentially cannot be copied. APDN also provides BioMaterial GenoTyping™ by detecting genomic DNA in natural materials to authenticate finished products. Both technologies protect brands and products in a wide range of industries and provide a forensic chain of evidence that can be used to prosecute perpetrators. To learn more, go to www.adnas.com where APDN routinely posts all press releases.
The statements made by APDN may be forward-looking in nature and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements describe APDN's future plans, projections, strategies and expectations, and are based on assumptions and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of APDN. Actual results could differ materially from those projected due to our short operating history, limited financial resources, limited market acceptance, market competition and various other factors detailed from time to time in APDN's SEC reports and filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on December 23, 2009 and our subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. APDN undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date hereof to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Contact Information:
INVESTOR CONTACT:
Debbie Bailey
+1-631-444-8090
fax: +1-631-444-8848
MEDIA CONTACT:
Janice Meraglia
+1-631-444-6293
fax: +1-631-444-8848
FCMN Contact:
Web site:http://www.adnas.com