Seizures of New Psychoactive Substances on the Italian territory during the COVID-19 pandemic. (September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Vincenti, Flaminia; Gregori, Adolfo; Flammini, Martina; Di Rosa, Fabiana; Salomone, Alberto
• Is Part Of: Forensic science international. Volume 326(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-09
• Subjects: New psychoactive substances -- NPS -- Cathinones -- Seizure -- Black market; Medical jurisprudence -- Periodicals; Chemistry, Forensic -- Periodicals; Forensic Medicine -- Periodicals; Médecine légale -- Périodiques; Chimie légale -- Périodiques; Gerechtelijke geneeskunde; Gerechtelijke chemie; Gerechtelijke psychiatrie; Chemistry, Forensic; Medical jurisprudence; Electronic journals; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 614.1
• DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2021.110904
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0379-0738

Abstract

Highlights: Drug traffickers and drug users are frequently using the postal service to transfer illicit molecules, and NPS in particular. We focused on the identification of the most commonly seized NPS during the COVID-19 pandemic. A large variety of NPS was identified, with synthetic cathinones being the most popular. The information obtained from drug seizures is crucial to publish national alerts and to update toxicological methods. Abstract: In recent years, the availability and the consequent consumption of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) have proliferated at an unprecedented rate, posing a significant risk to the public health and challenging the law enforcement efforts to tackle the black market. In particular, large availability on Internet and unmonitored shipping have facilitated the diffusion of NPS on national territories. In this scenario, the forensic activity based on the process of drug detection, including investigation, seizure, recognition and analytical identification is crucial to get insights into the drug black market transformation. In this study, we describe the results obtained from the analysis of hundreds of packages seized during the months of year 2020, and suspected to contain NPS because not reacting with standard field test kits. We focused on the analysis by GC-MS and HPLC-HRMS, and NPS in particular, trying to underline the most common molecules present on the Italian territory during the COVID-19 pandemic. NPS were identified in 92.6% of the samples. The most prevalent compounds were synthetic cathinones, and 3-MMC in particular, which alone accounted for 18.6% of the total cases. Other prevalent molecules were 5F-MDMB-PICA, 2-FDCK, 1cp-LSD and 1P-LSD. Fentanyl was never detected. The information obtained from drug seizures is crucial to publish national alerts, which are in turn important to assist the legislative effort to ban new compounds and the update of toxicological and analytical methods.