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•Assessment of cutting agents in seized samples using handle-portable gas chromatography toroidal ion trap mass spectrometry.•Levamisole was the most common detected cutting agent in seized samples.•Portable instrumentation is suitable to be used as a tool in forensic analysis for the majority of substances tested. Cocaine is usually sold as a white powder and can contain several adulterants and diluents, known as cutting agents. The cutting agents play an important role in the identification of trafficking routes, and they can also modify or intensify signs and symptoms of drug intoxication increasing the risk to the health’s user. The purpose of this work was to quantify cocaine and cutting agents in 116 illicit samples from NMS Labs, Willow Grove, PA, U.S. Gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and handle-portable gas chromatography toroidal ion trap mass spectrometry (GC–TMS) were used as screening methods A liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the quantification of cocaine, levamisole, benzocaine, phenacetin, hydroxyzine, theophylline, diltiazem, acetaminophen and caffeine. Cocaine-d3 and caffeine-d3 were used as internal standards. The method was shown to be precise, accurate and linear over a range of 50–2000ng/mL for all analytes. Cocaine was the only detected compound in 16.37% (n=19) of the samples. Between the identified cutting agents, levamisole was the most abundant substance found (79.31% of the total samples, amounts ranging from 0.2 to 74.3%), followed by phenacetin (18.96%, 0.3–46.8%), caffeine (12.06%, 0.2–32.2%), hydroxyzine (9.48%, 0.7–13.8%) and benzocaine (5.17%, 0.4–58.3%). GC–TMS was considered suitable to be used as a tool in forensic analysis as a screening method for cocaine, benzocaine, phenacetin, hydroxyzine and caffeine with restrictions to be used for levamisole, while GC–MS presented good results in screening analysis for cocaine, levamisole, benzocaine, phenacetin, hydroxyzine and caffeine.

•2015–2017. This is the first work describing the cocaine cutting agents in samples seized in the Northern Region of Colombia.•The largest share of cocaine seizures (in the Northern Region of Colombia) took place in Atlántico, Bolívar and Magdalena.•The main cutting found in the seized samples were caffeine, phenacetin, imidazole, levamisole and lidocaine.•Mixtures of 2 and 3 adulterants were found in the samples, mainly caffeine/phenacetin and caffeine/lidocaine/phenacetin. Cocaine is a naturally occurring psychostimulant drug available worldwide. Drug trafficking networks adulterate pure cocaine with cutting agents to increase their earnings. This study presents a descriptive statistical analysis of the cutting agents found in 2118 cocaine samples that were seized in the Northern Region of Colombia (in the period 2015–2017). The data used in this study was drawn from the GC-MS analytical reports of the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences –Colombia, Northern Region. Results showed diverse cutting agents in seized cocaine samples, from which the most commonly used are caffeine, phenacetin, lidocaine, imidazole and levamisole. In addition, cocaine samples showed different mixtures of the above cutting agents, predominantly caffeine/phenacetin and caffeine/lidocaine/phenacetin mixtures.

•Nyaope, is a major drug of abuse unique to South Africa.•The major components of nyaope are, cannabis, heroin and antiretrovirals.•Major components, in combination, are more stable in t-butanol for up to 72h.•Chemical profiling of the major components of nyaope using GC–MS is possible. Nyaope, a street drug commonly found in South Africa, is a mixture of low grade heroin, cannabis products, antiretroviral drugs and other materials added as cutting agents. It is a highly physiologically addictive substance which is smoked by users. Little work has been published on the chemical analysis and profiling of nyaope. Sample preparation prior to chromatographic or spectrometric analysis normally involves dissolution of the sample in an organic solvent. This study determined the most suitable organic solvent in which the common components of nyaope, namely Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, diamorphine, caffeine, dextromethorphan, phenacetin and the antiretrovirals efavirenz and nevirapine, which have different chemical characteristics, are stable during extraction and prior to analysis of nyaope samples i.e. autosampler stability. Street samples of cannabis (Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol), heroin (diamorphine) and antiretrovirals were mixed to mimic a nyaope sample and dissolved in the organic solvents dichloromethane, ethanol, ethyl acetate, hexane, isopropanol and tertiary butyl alcohol. Analysis was performed after intervals of 0, 1, 6, 8, 24, 48 and 72h, prior to analysis by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Tertiary butyl alcohol resulted in the most stable extracts of the main nyaope components after 72h of storage. The analysis was also repeated on actual street samples of nyaope. These results show that tertiary butyl alcohol is a suitable solvent for sample preparation for the identification, comparison and profiling of nyaope samples.

Restrictions in movement and closure of borders imposed by the Sars-Cov- 2 worldwide pandemic have affected the global illicit drug market, including cocaine trafficking. In this scenario, comparing cutting agents added to the cocaine and the drug purity are valuable strategies to understand how the drug trade has been impacted by the pandemic. In this work, 204 cocaine salt materials seized in the Brazilian Federal District, before (2019) and during COVID-19 pandemics (2020) were analyzed by two analytical techniques: gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Statistical analyses, including Principal Component Analysis (PCA), were applied to evaluate the COVID-19 pandemic impact in the local market. Bibliometric analysis was performed as a forensic intelligence tool. Results: From 2019–2020, cocaine average purity decreased 26 % while the frequency of cutting agents, as caffeine and anesthetics (lidocaine, tetracaine) increased. The high percentage of unknown were increased. Different cocaine profiling seized in 2020 showed new cutting agents, such as Irganox 1076, and Irgafos 168, indicating a trend on new adulterants/diluents introduced in the local market to mitigate the local drug shortage. Also in 2020, there was an increase in the local cocaine seizures, despite of the cocaine drug purity decreased by 26 % compared to 2019. Conclusions: Taken together, these data showed that the covid-19 pandemics has impacted cocaine trafficking in the Brazilian Federal District, an increase in cocaine seizures, which may indicate greater demand for the drug and, specially, changes in the cocaine purity and cutting agents profiling showing how traffickers tried to minimize difficulties in crossing the Brazilian border during COVID-19 restrictions. The information is relevant since Brazil is one of the major departure points for traded cocaine to the world. Bibliometric analysis showed that Irgafos 168 and Irganox 1076 were consistently identified as cocaine cutting agents for the first time. •COVID-19 pandemic impact on Cocaine trafficking in Brasil.•Irgafos 168 and Irganox 1076 as new cocaine cutting agents in 2020.•Changes in the composition of the street cocaine 2019–2020 showed by 3D PCA Graphic.•Bibliometric analysis used as a forensic intelligence tool.•Decreased cocaine purity due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

•Pine rosin was identified as component in a sample of cannabis extract adulterant.•The inhalation toxicology of pine rosin is well-studied.•Current analytical methods may misidentify pine rosin as an additive.•The prevalence of this additive is unknown. Pine rosin (colophony) has been identified as a potentially new adulterant in cannabis oil. Its inhalation toxicity poses a significant health concern to users. For example, pine rosin fumes are released during soldering, and have been cited as a causative agent of occupational asthma. Symptoms also include desquamation of bronchial epithelium, which has also been observed in e-cigarette or vaping product used-associated lung injury (EVALI) patients. The sample analyzed herein was acquired from a cannabis industry source, also contains medium chain triglycerides and oleamide, the latter of which is a hypnotic that is commonly found in the synthetic marijuana product Spice, or K2. A combination of proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) and high pressure liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESIMS) was used to unambiguously identify major pine rosin ingredients such as abietic and other resin acids. Comparison to commercial samples of pure pine rosin confirmed the assignment.

In a criminal case involving cutting and resale of amphetamine and cocaine in the Copenhagen area of Denmark, maltitol was used as a cutting agent. The analysis of maltitol in seizures of pure diluents as well as in amphetamine and cocaine powders was carried out using reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with high-resolution (HR) mass spectrometric detection. Maltitol was identified in four out of nine amphetamine samples and in five out of six cocaine samples from the case in question. The use of maltitol as a cutting agent was considered by the police as a specific marker of the particular criminal group under investigation. To support or reject this hypothesis, cocaine and amphetamine samples from a four month period after the involved persons had been arrested were evaluated, also as part of the police investigation. None of these samples contained maltitol. The work described covers the part of the case involving the department of forensic chemistry, and not the whole police investigation, but everything was done within the frames given by the police. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a disaccharide polyol being used as a cutting agent for illicit drugs.

Optimisation and harmonisation of analytical and statistical methodology have been carried out between two forensic laboratories (Lausanne, CH and Lyon, F) in order to provide drug intelligence for cross-border cocaine seizures. The aim was to improve the gas chromatographic analysis of cocaine samples for profiling. Some important validation parameters were tested to verify the developed method and demonstrate its profiling capacity: the selectivity of the method with retention time reproducibility, the choice of a derivatisation agent improving the chromatography (MSTFA, BSA, TMSI and BSTFA+TMCS 1%), the cutting agents influence (matrix effect), the influence of the sample storage conditions and the sample quantity to weigh for analyses. Eight main alkaloids, which represent the sample signature, have been selected: ecgonine methyl ester, ecgonine, tropacocaine, benzoylecgonine, norcocaine, cis- and trans-cinnamoylcocaine and 3,4,5-trimethoxycocaine. Their stability in the solvent used (CHCl(3)/pyridine) was demonstrated. In order to reach the final objective, which is the comparison of samples seized and analyzed in two different laboratories, the harmonisation of the profiling method between the two laboratories had to be ensured and is the subject of ongoing research.

Inneholder sammendrag

Optimisation and harmonisation of analytical and statistical methodology have been carried out between two forensic laboratories (Lausanne, CH and Lyon, F) in order to provide drug intelligence for cross-border cocaine seizures. The aim was to improve the gas chromatographic analysis of cocaine samples for profiling. Some important validation parameters were tested to verify the developed method and demonstrate its profiling capacity: the selectivity of the method with retention time reproducibility, the choice of a derivatisation agent improving the chromatography (MSTFA, BSA, TMSI and BSTFA + TMCS 1%), the cutting agents influence (matrix effect), the influence of the sample storage conditions and the sample quantity to weigh for analyses. Eight main alkaloids, which represent the sample signature, have been selected: ecgonine methyl ester, ecgonine, tropacocaine, benzoylecgonine, norcocaine, cis- and trans-cinnamoylcocaine and 3,4,5-trimethoxycocaine. Their stability in the solvent used (CHCl 3/pyridine) was demonstrated. In order to reach the final objective, which is the comparison of samples seized and analyzed in two different laboratories, the harmonisation of the profiling method between the two laboratories had to be ensured and is the subject of ongoing research.