After 9/11, the CIA asked me to analyze samples to help track down terrorists using forensic pollen techniques. They sent me random objects but never said where they came from or the item’s significance.

One time, they sent a 36-inch shoelace taken from a terrorist’s boot, which I traced back to Iran through pollen analysis. Another item was a prayer blanket, which we determined had been used in South Pakistan. I even studied captured weapons, cell phones, IEDs and car air filters to see where they’d been. I examined hundreds of samples and traveled to Langley, Virginia, twice per year. I did this for 10 years, unaware I was searching for Osama bin Laden, until Navy SEALs captured and killed him in 2011.

IS your Work used in the War On drugs?

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security reached out to me in 2011 when it heard that pollen analysis could trace the origins of illegal drugs entering the U.S., such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. One time, I processed several kilos of cocaine with a street value of about $3 million. From pollen analyses, I can often determine where illegal drugs originated—such as states like Sonora, Sinaloa, Chihuahua or Coahuila, Mexico.  

Truth in Honey Labeling 

Bryant started analyzing honey in 1975 when the U.S. Department of Agriculture hired him to track illegal honey being purchased as part of its Farm Loan Subsidy Program. By analyzing samples, he helped identify domestic versus foreign honey.

He has spoken at universities and beekeeping meetings and published several articles about authentic honey. Currently, Bryant studies honey products for private companies to verify their authenticity and helps hundreds of beekeepers find out what types of honey their bees produce.