|
“PURPLE” (COUGH SYRUP CONTAINING CODEINE
AND OXYCODONE)
The
Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office,
Division of Laboratories (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) recently received
a clear glass vial containing a viscous, nearly opaque purple liquid
with a strong grape odor, alleged “Purple” (cough syrup
supposedly containing cocaine and hydrocodone) (see Photo 1). The
exhibit was acquired in Wilkinsburg (a suburb of Pittsburgh) by
the Wilkinsburg Police (details sensitive). Analysis of an extract
of the liquid (total net volume and mass 10 milliliters and 12.2
grams) by GC/MS and GC/FID, however, indicated neither cocaine
or hydrocodone but rather a mixture of doxylamine, promethazine,
dextromethorphan (all non controlled), codeine, and oxycodone.
The codeine and oxycodone were not quantitated, but based on the
chromatograms were at a rather low loading. This was the first
submission of “Purple” to the laboratory.
* * * * *
- INTELLIGENCE ALERT - BROWN HEROIN IN NORTH CHICAGO, ILLINOIS The Northeastern
Illinois Regional Crime Laboratory (Vernon Hills) recently received
a large lump of a dark brown substance with a strong acetic
acid odor, that field-tested positive for heroin (see Photo 2). The exhibit
was seized by the Waukegan Police at a residence in North Chicago, along
with large amounts of cocaine and cannabis (details sensitive). Analysis
of the substance (total net mass approximately 360 grams) by GC/MS confirmed
heroin, and also identified 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM), morphine,
and noscapine (not quantitated, but a fairly high loading of heroin and
6-MAM based on the TIC). This was the largest amount of heroin ever submitted
to the laboratory.
- INTELLIGENCE ALERT - COMPUTER PROCESSORS CONTAINING HEROIN IN BOGOTA, COLOMBIA The National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences Laboratory (Bogotá, Colombia) recently received 8 commercially packaged, advanced computer processors, each containing a compressed brown powder inside its heat dissipater, suspected heroin (see Photos 3 and 4). The exhibits were en route from Colombia to Miami, Florida and were seized by Colombian National Police at the El Dorado Airport in Bogotá. Of note, the processors were fully operational and the packaging (including the boxes, not shown) appeared to be completely legitimate. Analysis of the powder (total net mass 214.4 grams) by UV, GC/FID, and GC/MS confirmed 70 percent heroin. This was the laboratory’s first encounter with this smuggling technique.
* * * * * - INTELLIGENCE ALERT - PSILOCYBIN MUSHROOM CHOCOLATES NEAR ROCHESTER, NEW YORK The Monroe County Public Safety Laboratory (Rochester, New York) recently received a polydrug seizure including: A) Seven "Omega" logo tablets found to contain a mixture of methamphetamine, MDMA, caffeine, and procaine (not quantitated); B) Three generic 10 milligram oxycodone tablets; C) Seven bags of marijuana (total net mass 16 grams); and D) Eight home made chocolate concoctions containing plant material, suspected to be psilocybin mushroom parts. The exhibits were seized by local law enforcement authorities at an outdoor rock concert located in a theme park west of Rochester (details sensitive). Each of the chocolates weighed approximately 30 grams, was approximately 4.5 centimeters in diameter by 2.5 centimeters thick, was wrapped in silver foil, and had a “SOLO” logo (similar to that found on commercial disposable cups) (see Photos 5 and 6). The plant material was manually separated from the chocolate by crushing and carefully removing the visual pieces with tweezers. Each of the chocolates contained approximately 120 milligrams of plant material. The remaining crushed chocolate, which at this point did not contain any visible residue (as determined under stereoscopic 10x magnification), was not tested further. The plant material was triturated with sodium bicarbonate and minimal water,
then extracted twice with chloroform. The chloroform extracts were then dried
down to a residue. Analysis of the residue by GC/MSD and TLC indicated psilocybin,
psilocin, theobromine, and caffeine, confirming Psilocybe mushrooms. The
psilocybin and psilocin were not quantitated, but were present at a moderate
loading as compared with other mushroom submissions. Theobromine and caffeine
are natural products in chocolate. This is the first submission of psilocybin
mushroom chocolates to the laboratory.
* * * * * - INTELLIGENCE ALERT - BLOTTER ACID MIMICS (CONTAINING 4-BROMO-2,5-DIMETHOXY-
The Contra Costa County Sheriff - Coroner’s Office Forensic Services Division Laboratory (Martinez, California) recently received a small sheet of perforated paper divided into nine and a half squares, each 5 x 5 millimeters and imprinted with an ornate wheel-burst pattern surrounding a heart, suspected LSD “blotter acid” (see Photo 7). The exhibit was seized in Concord, California by the Concord Police (details unavailable; Concord is about 30 miles east of San Francisco). Preliminary screening by long-wavelength UV and para-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde (PDMBA), however, were both negative for LSD. Analysis of a methanolic extract by GC/MS instead identified 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyamphetamine (DOB), not formally quantitated but a moderate loading based on the TIC. This is the first submission of DOB, and is also believed to be the first submission of an LSD blotter acid mimic and the first submission of this unusual logo, to the laboratory.
The Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory in Wausau recently received a multi-exhibit submission of suspected steroids, including:
A) Two crimp sealed
metal containers labeled "Testosterone
Enanthate," both containing 995.4 grams of chunky white powder; * * * * * - INTELLIGENCE ALERT - 4-CHLORO-2,5-DIMETHOXYAMPHETAMINE (DOC) AND
4-IODO- The DEA North Central Laboratory (Chicago, Illinois) recently received a polydrug submission consisting of: A) 40.6 milliliters (40.4 grams) of a clear, colorless liquid (pH 9), marked as “D.O.I.”, presumed to be a solution of 4-iodo-2,5-dimethoxyamphetamine (DOI); B) Two resealable plastic bags containing in total 70.6 grams of fine, white powder, one marked as “I” and the other as “DOB”, the latter presumed to be 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyamphetamine (DOB); and C) Three resealable plastic bags containing in total of 14.5 grams of white powder mixed with small, off-white crystals/solid chunks, one marked as “DOC”, two marked with weights only, all presumed 4-chloro-2,5-dimethoxyamphetamine (DOC) (no photos). The exhibits were seized at a residence in Berkley, Michigan by agents from the DEA Detroit Division Office (no further details); Berkley is a suburb of Detroit. Analysis of the liquid by Watesmo paper, color testing, FTIR, GC/MS, and NMR indicated not DOI but rather an aqueous solution of DOC (suspected base, not quantitated). Analysis of the fine white powder (same instrumental techniques) indicated not DOB but rather DOI in both bags (suspected to be the hydrochloride salt; not quantitated but apparently high purity). Analysis of the off-white crystals/solid chunks (same instrumental techniques) confirmed DOC in all three bags (suspected to be the hydrochloride salt; not quantitated but apparently high purity); a possible DOC synthesis by-product was also noted. These are the first known submissions of DOC and DOI to the North Central Laboratory. * * * * * - INTELLIGENCE ALERT - BLACK TAR HEROIN CONCEALED INSIDE A DISASSEMBLED The DEA Mid-Atlantic
Laboratory (Largo, Maryland) recently received a disassembled rocking
chair containing 10 separate plastic-wrapped
packages of a black, tar-like substance concealed within hollowed-out
sections, suspected black-tar heroin (see Photos 9 - 10). The exhibit
originated in El Salvador, and was seized in Washington, DC by Immigration
and Customs Enforcement personnel (no further details). Analysis of
the substance (total net mass 389.9 grams) by GC, GC/MS, and IR confirmed
34 percent heroin hydrochloride, along with lidocaine and other expected
alkaloids and typical heroin reaction by products. Black-tar heroin
exhibits are not commonly submitted to the Mid-Atlantic Laboratory.
This is first submission of this smuggling technique to the Laboratory.
* * * * * - INTELLIGENCE BRIEF - INDUSTRIAL-SCALE
METHAMPHETAMINE/MDMA In late 2005, Indonesian authorities raided a very large clandestine laboratory located in Cikande, Indonesia (located approximately 60 kilometers west of Jakarta). The operation was producing large-scale quantities of both methamphetamine and MDMA. Subsequently, two chemists from the DEA Special Testing and Research Laboratory (Dulles, Virginia) visited the site to document the laboratory setup and collect samples. The site consisted of a large warehouse divided into multiple rooms with a variety of chemicals located throughout (see Photo 11). The methamphetamine and MDMA production facilities were both located in the back of the warehouse, hidden behind a wall and accessed via a secret door.
Methamphetamine was being synthesized in two large reactors using ephedrine, red phosphorus, and iodine (see one of the reactors in Photo 12). Each batch started with 100 kilograms of l-ephedrine hydrochloride. After the reaction was complete, the methamphetamine base was isolated, converted to the hydrochloride, and recrystallized from a minimal amount of water, to yield approximately 75 kilograms of "Ice"-style d-methamphetamine hydrochloride. MDMA was also being synthesized in two large reactors (see Photo 13), using 3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl-2-propanone (MDP2P), methylamine, aluminum foil, and mercuric chloride, in methanol. Each batch started with 20 liters of MDP2P. After the reaction was complete, the MDMA base was isolated and distilled, converted to the hydrochloride, and crystallized in freezers to yield approximately 8 kilograms of MDMA hydrochloride. Additional materials and equipment indicated the large-scale production of MDMA (Ecstasy) tablets. The equipment included a 21-stage rotary tablet press capable of producing from 100,000 to 250,000 tablets in 8 hours. Also present were new and used commercial mixers and drying ovens. Tableting materials included cellulose, starch, dyes, and caffeine.
* * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * SELECTED REFERENCES [Selected references are a compilation of recent publications of presumed interest to forensic chemists. Unless otherwise stated, all listed citations are published in English. Abbreviated mailing address information duplicates that provided by the abstracting service. Patents and Proceedings are reported only by their Chemical Abstracts citation number.]
Additional References of Possible Interest:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Microgram Editor Email Address Change Coming!Effective January 1st, 2007, the Microgram Editor’s email address will change from microgram_editor -at- mailsnare.net to: microgram-2007 -at- mailsnare.net This change has been necessitated by the ever-increasing numbers of spam emails being received at the microgram_editor -at- mailsnare.net address. An automated response will be maintained on the microgram_editor -at- mailsnare.net address for the first three months of CY 2007. Please make a note of this change. Note that similar email address
changes can be anticipated on the first of each year, substituting
the appropriate year in the address. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Until recently, few people in the general public had more than a cursory understanding of Computer Forensics. And therefore (and not surprisingly), there was no defined career track to a computer forensics position. Most examiners in law enforcement organizations obtained their positions by being the right person in the right place at the right time. Usually they were the only person in the office who had some kind of formal computer science education or training, or who “dabbled” in computer hardware and software more or less as a hobby - and so were called upon when seized computers began to be submitted as potential evidence. From a personal standpoint, I knew about computers, but until late 1997 I had never heard of computer forensics. It was a job announcement for a position in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Computer Forensics Program that first caught my attention. Once I was hired, most of my knowledge was acquired by observing computer forensics examiners who were already working on casework, and then by on-the-job training. At that time, the forensic tool of choice was Safeback®, and a typical hard drive was only megabytes in size. To put this in perspective, consider that there are now dozens of forensic tools, and it’s hard to find a hard drive that is smaller than 80 gigabytes (in fact, an examiner could encounter a 750 gigabyte hard drive). My entry experiences were typical. In the mid-1990’s, computer forensics was infrequently spoken of within the Computer Science (CS), Information Technology (IT), or law enforcement communities. If you had done an Internet search on the phrase “Computer Forensics” in 1995, you probably would have gotten only a few hits (if any!) Today, you will get over two million hits. Computer forensics is everywhere now, and law enforcement, judicial, commercial, and private sector organizations are all looking for experienced examiners. While preparing this column, I went on line to see if there were educational institutions that offered courses or degrees in Computer Forensics. Frankly, I wasn’t expecting much - but to my surprise, I found quite a few. Here are some of them* (but there are many more that are not listed here):
Similarly, a search on the term “Computer Forensics Training” gives, for example*:
Finally, a few websites that provide information on training opportunities in Computer Forensics include, for example*:
In conclusion, it is much easier for someone to get into the field of Computer Forensics today versus even just five years ago. The opportunities are almost limitless. It takes time to explore all the options, but time well spent. Questions or comments? E mail: Steven.L.Carter -at- usdoj.gov [ * Note: Listing in this Column does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.]
|
