Organic impurity profiling of fentanyl samples associated with recent clandestine laboratory methods

Nearly a decade ago, fentanyl reappeared in the United States illicit drug market. In the years since, overdose deaths have continued to rise as well as the amount of fentanyl seized by law enforcement agencies. Research surrounding fentanyl production has been beneficial to regulatory actions and understanding illicit fentanyl production. In 2017, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began collecting seized fentanyl samples from throughout the United States to track purity, adulteration trends, and synthetic impurity profiles for intelligence purposes. The appearance of a specific organic impurity, phenethyl-4-anilino-N-phenethylpiperidine (phenethyl-4-ANPP) indicates a shift in fentanyl production from the traditional Siegfried and Janssen routes to the Gupta-patent route. Through a collaboration between the DEA and the US Army's Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center (DEVCOM CBC), the synthesis of fentanyl was investigated via six synthetic routes, and the impurity profiles were compared to those of seized samples. The synthetic impurity phenethyl-4-ANPP was reliably observed in the Gupta-patent route published in 2013, and its structure was confirmed through isolation and structure elucidation. Organic impurity profiling results for illicit fentanyl samples seized in late 2021 have indicated yet another change in processing with the appearance of the impurity ethyl-4-anilino-N-phenethylpiperidine (ethyl-4-ANPP). Through altering reagents traditionally used in the Gupta-patent route, the formation of this impurity was determined to occur through a modification of the route as originally described in the Gupta patent.     

Overview of the seized and examined pharmaceutical in the state of Minas Gerais-Brazil by the Civil Police from 2017 to 2022: A fundamental analysis of the recent impact over the drugs market

This work presents a data survey regarding the qualitative chemical analysis of drugs seized by the Police in the state of Minas Gerais between July 2017 and June 2022, including an evaluation of labeling of 265 samples of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) seized in 2020. The Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) present in the samples were identified through chemical analysis and classified by system Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) methods. Analysis of the labeling information for 265 samples of AAS followed the guidance of legislation RDC 71 (2009) from ANVISA. For this study 6355 seized pharmaceuticals underwent qualitative chemical analysis that corresponded to 7739 APIs successfully identified and classified. Among the components studied AAS, psychostimulants, anesthetics, and analgesics were the most commonly examined. AAS seized and tested increased by over 100% and for the majority of the samples analyzed were found to not match the labeling on the packaging. In the meantime, anti-obesity drugs presented a prominent increase of 400% from 2020/1 to 2021/2, during covid-19 quarantine. Seized pharmaceuticals and tests can support information in the planning of public health and safety policies.     

Evaluating the sensitivity,stability, and cross-reactivity of commercial fentanyl immunoassay test strips

Illicit fentanyl has flooded the United States' drug market, increasing the risk of overdose and poisonings throughout the general population and accidental exposure among law enforcement officers confiscating the increasing number of seizures. Fentanyl test strips (FTS) are used to obtain presumptive information about the presence of fentanyl in a suspected sample. However, their adoption by law enforcement personnel and seized-drug analysts has been limited because most products are advertised for urine testing, not for assays using water solutions. This study presents an evaluation of four commercial FTS: Rapid Response from BTNX, Inc.; T-Dip Fentanyl (FTY) Urine Dip Cards obtained from Amazon.com ; Premier BioDip FYL10 from Premier Biotech Inc.; and MobileDetect Fentanyl strips from DetectaChem, Inc. Performance characteristics curves were used to compare the products' sensitivity, showing that all can reliably detect fentanyl in aqueous solutions at concentrations below 1 μg/mL, with some of the tests able to reliably detect the drug at 200 ng/mL. A stability study demonstrates the performance of all four FTS brands was only slightly affected after 30 days of storage at two extreme environmental conditions. Fentanyl-related substances are also evaluated using the Rapid Response FTS, which showed high cross-reactivity with para-fluorofentanyl and acetylfentanyl, but lower with ortho-chlorofentanyl, carfentanil, and 4-ANPP. Users should be aware that FTS may give false-negative results even when potentially dangerous levels of carfentanil are present. When testing other common drugs, adulterants, and diluents frequently encountered in seized tablets, concentration-dependent results were obtained and multiple instances of false positives were recorded.     

Drugs,law, people,place and the state: ongoing regulation,resistance and change

We introduce this special issue firstly by tracing drugs from their traditional, cultural and religious uses through to their roles as commodities in colonial relations and now the global economy. We secondly explore the shifting nature of drugs and drug use in different places and times as shaped by politics, especially state regulation and the law. Thirdly, given the complexity as well as contingency of drugs, we survey a wide range of relevant theoretical approaches, but suggest that a critical analysis attend to their spatial framing and geography. Fourthly, and finally, we summarize the eight papers comprising this collection.     

Petechial Hemorrhages and Ethanol in Deaths from Intoxication

Petechiae in conjunctivae and in the palpebrae/skin of the eyelids are of particular interest for the forensic pathologist, because of their association with pressure on the neck. They have been described in the eyelids of intoxicated persons both in case reports and in text books of forensic pathology. We studied 590 deaths caused by intoxication, and 75 had petechiae either in the conjunctivae, the eyelids, or in both locations. We examined the influence of drugs and ethanol on the location of the petechial hemorrhages in these deaths. Deaths with ethanol in blood and in urine/vitreous humor more often had petechiae in both locations than those without. This association was statistically significant, independent of body position and livor mortis. No association between the location of petechiae, medicinal drugs, or narcotics was found. These results suggest that ethanol may contribute to the development of petechial hemorrhages in deaths from intoxication.     

我国毒品犯罪的特点与对策浅探

我国禁毒工作面临的形势十分严峻,毒品来源多元化、毒品滥用多样化和制毒吸毒一体化日趋明显。因此,必须充分认识到禁毒工作的长期性、艰巨性和复杂性,从而采取强有力的措施,宏观处着眼,微观处入手,使禁毒工作取得新突破。     

An Unusually High Cocaine Blood Concentration in an Impaired Driving Investigation

Cocaine is an illicit drug frequently encountered by forensic practitioners in driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) casework. Whole blood collected from a suspected drugged driver was found to contain 3.000 mg/L cocaine, 1.600 mg/L benzoylecgonine, and 0.260 mg/L methamphetamine. The high concentration of cocaine, while common in overdose death investigations, is unusual for an impaired driving case. Information from the officer revealed that the motorist swallowed cocaine during the traffic stop. Although a cocaine DUID charge could not be pursued, the blood methamphetamine concentration exceeded the State of Nevada “per se” limit for operating a motor vehicle. The motorist was successfully prosecuted for DUID based on his admission of using methamphetamine prior to driving and the blood methamphetamine result. This case highlights the importance of considering case history when interpreting laboratory results and the application of jurisdictional statutes as an approach to prosecuting suspected drug‐impaired drivers.     

A Case of Nonfatal Intoxication Associated with the Recreational use of Diphenidine

Diphenidine is a dissociative drug that shows several psychotropic effects including euphoria, shifts in perception of reality, hallucinations, and transient anterograde amnesia. In this study, a case of acute intoxication occurring after diphenidine intake is reported. A 30‐year‐old Caucasian male was hospitalized after he was found in a confused and agitated state and unable to communicate. The physical examination displayed tachycardia, miotic pupils, and increased both body temperature and respiratory rate. After a liquid–liquid extraction procedure, GC/MS analysis revealed the presence of diphenidine in plasma and urine at concentrations of 308 and 631 ng/mL, respectively. Methylphenidate and diclazepam were also detected in the plasma. The clinical progress of the patient was favorable, and his symptoms were cured with a symptomatic treatment. The combined circumstantial elements and toxicological results of the case reported revealed the occurrence of an acute intoxication ascribable to the recreational abuse of diphenidine.     

Detection of Contact Traces of Powdery Substances

The current practice in securing the contact traces of chemical substances taken from clothes belonging to a person suspected of manual handling explosives is focused on pockets and cuffs. The outerwear worn by people who had contact with fluorescent powders that simulate explosives and drugs was the subject of this study. Clothes were first exposed to the test substance for a period of time and then analyzed by fluorescence methods to determine the location of the highest quantity of traces. The results obtained from the study confirm that the areas with the highest concentration of powdery traces are different from those suggested by current forensic practice. They appear to be promising for a more efficient identification of the suspects involved in illegal manufacturing of drugs of abuse or explosives. Moreover, they may be helpful for developing the methodology for handling the evidence material in the forensic clothing examination process.     

Transitional narratives of identity among ethnic minority youth gangs in Denmark: from collectivism to individualism

Current literature often depicts the street cultures of ethnic minority youth as forms of collective cultural resistance to experiences of marginalization from mainstream society. Based on ethnographic fieldwork and qualitative interviews in 2014 with 23 young men attached to a rehabilitation centre for criminal offenders in Denmark, this article focuses on ethnic minority youth who desist from such street culture and their former gang life, criminality and drug use and how they describe this shift within their narratives. More specifically, we show how this shift can to some extent be characterized by a move from collective to more individualistic self-narratives re-articulating broader individualistic discourses existing in contemporary society. Among these more individualistic self-narratives, we find extensive reference to ideas of self-responsibility and also individual pragmatic interpretations of Islam. Such re-articulations can be seen as a way to create feelings of agency in severely disempowering circumstances.