A decade of analysis of illicit street cocaine in Chile

Abstract

Context: Cocaine is one of the most worldwide consumed drugs of abuse. Determinate purity and adulteration profile of cocaine is very useful from the point of view of toxicology, public health, trends of misuse and for police enforcement, in order to establish the routes of drugs dealers. Aims: To evaluate the purity profile of cocaine hydrochloride in Chile over 10 years; classify main adulterants and diluents added to cocaine, for this purpose we used collected data from all tested samples since 2006 to 2016. Methods: In this study were used several analytical methods based in different techniques. For quantitative analysis samples were tested by Gas Chromatography with Flame Ionization Detector and High-Performance Thin Layer Chromatography. In order to confirm doubtful or extensively adulterated samples a confirmatory analysis by GC/MS was carried out. Results: Results of this study are very alarming due to cocaine purity decreased since 2009 this fact corresponds with that cocaine has been progressively adulterated and diluted with compounds such as levamisol, caffeine, local anaesthetics, and carbonates. These events make very important this type of studies of composition of the street drug. Conclusions: Cocaine is extensively adulterated, with substances that enhance the harm to the health of users, as in other countries in the region. According to our knowledge this is the first report in Chile about purity profile of cocaine hydrochloride in such a long period and with this large number of samples studied.