Abstract
In recent years, the production, distribution and consumption of so-called new psychoactive substances, such as synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic cathinones, and phenethylamines, have increased worldwide. The present work reports the identification of such substances found in samples of blotter papers that were seized in the city of Bogota in accordance with the analytical method implemented in the chemistry laboratories of the Attorney General of Colombia. Using gas chromatography coupled to a selective mass ion trap detector, the presence of phenethylamine derivatives, mainly from the 2,5-dimethoxy- N-(2-methoxybenzyl) phenethylamine series, was detected. Among them, 2-(4-chloro-2,5-dimethoxy- N-(2-methoxybenzyl)) phenethylamine, 2-(4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxy- N-(2-methoxybenzyl)) phenethylamine, and 2-(4-iodo-2,5-dimethoxy- N-(2-methoxybenzyl)) phenethylamine ( m/z 150, 121, 91) were prevalent. The 2,5-dimethoxy- N-(2-methoxybenzyl) phenethylamine series derivatives correspond to proved powerful hallucinogens that have not yet been subjected to international control and supervision.
Highlights
Since the year 2012, the forensic chemistry laboratory of the Attorney General of Colombia has noted an increase in the quantity of blotter paper samples received for substance analysis as part of judicial investigations for the crimes of trafficking, possession, or distribution of drugs according to the Colombian Penal Code
The aim of the present study is to propose a method for the qualitative analysis of substances of the NBOMe series found in blotter papers using gas chromatography coupled to a selective mass ion trap detector (GC‐MS IT)
By following a standard method applied by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)[17] for the qualitative detection of substances impregnated in blotter papers some important analytical characteristics were verified
Summary
Since the year 2012, the forensic chemistry laboratory of the Attorney General of Colombia has noted an increase in the quantity of blotter paper samples received for substance analysis as part of judicial investigations for the crimes of trafficking, possession, or distribution of drugs according to the Colombian Penal Code. The blotter papers with logos and bright colors are used as suppport for the distribution of synthetic drugs whose effects are achieved in the microgram level; recent results have shown that blotter papers[1,2] are used for impregnation and subsequent marketing of new hallucinogenic drugs or a mixture of drugs derived from the tryptamine and Figure 1 shows the structural relationship between the 2C series and its derivative NBOMe. Substitutions in the 2C structure, such as the addition of methoxy groups in carbons 2 and 5 of the benzene ring or a halogen substitution in the R1 position, increase the hallucinogenic effect of the substance.. Few scientific studies have shown the toxicological effects caused by the ingestion of NBOMe series substances.[6,7,8] Research has been primarily focused on human post mortem detection[9,10] and in some cases, in the field of clinical pharmacology;[11,12,13] in Colombia, the only study that has been reported was performed in 2010 and focused on the analysis of substances commercialized in the city of Bogotá under the name synthetic drugs.[14]
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