Chemical Profiling of Heroin Recovered from the North Korean Merchant Vessel Pong Su

Abstract

Heroin samples, seized from the North Korean merchant vessel Pong Su in Australian waters, were analyzed to determine geographic origin. Duplicate samples were analyzed by the National Measurement Institute's Australian Forensic Drug Laboratory and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration's Special Testing and Research Laboratory. Alkaloid ratios were determined by both liquid chromatography-diode array detection (LC-DAD) and capillary electrophoresis-diode array detection (CE-DAD) techniques. Acid/neutral manufacturing by-products were determined by solvent extraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Solvents, trapped in the heroin particles during manufacture, were detected by both static headspace GC-MS and purge and trap GC-MS. The alkaloid ratios obtained were consistent with heroin of a Southeast Asian (SEA) origin and principal component analysis of the alkaloid results demonstrated the presence of at least four subgroupings within the seizure. The solvent analysis detected diethyl ether and ethyl acetate, solvents typically seen in SEA heroin. However, the acid/neutral analysis revealed compounds not normally seen in heroin of a SEA origin. Furthermore, sterol-like molecules, always detected in the acid/neutral analysis of SEA heroin, were absent from the Pong Su samples. The Pong Su heroin, although similar to SEA heroin, has sufficient differences to classify it as having an unknown origin at the time of this writing.

Quality control of herbal medicines by capillary electrophoresis: Potential, requirements and applications

“…Detection and quantification of the alkaloids in two plant samples were achieved by MS in positive ESI mode, with a For the analysis of opium alkaloids a number of CE methods have been published. Beginning with Reddy et al [25], who used an aqueous ammonium acetate buffer (pH 3.1) with 70% methanol to separate morphine, papaverine, codeine, noscarpine and thebaine, followed by Collins et al [26], who utilized dynamically coated capillaries for the same purpose. They adopted a procedure previously reported by Lurie et al [27], enabling the determination of the same alkaloids in opium gum and latex in significantly reduced time of only 6.5 min.…”

Looking at forensic intelligence from the metaphysical perspective: citing illicit heroin profiling as an example

“…Not including the active ingredient (e.g. heroin) and adulterants intended by the drug dealer, the transferred clues are mainly the opium-based alkaloids, by-products, solvents and metals [9][10][11][12][13] . Simply put, the source leaves traces of its natural commodities, the manufacturer leaves traces of unreacted ingredients and the distributor leaves traces of contaminants, all contributing to a pool of traces for the forensic scientist to discover or Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences 229 decode.…”

Recent advances in the applications of CE to forensic sciences (2005–2007)

“…An example of the consolidated adoption of CE methods in the routine of forensic drug laboratories can be found in a report on the chemical profiling of heroin recovered from the North Korean merchant vessel Pong Su, in which CZE with dynamically coated capillary (a commercially available reagent kit with an added CD, see ref. [13]) was used for the analysis of heroin and its major alkaloids at the Australian Forensic Drug Laboratory [14].…”