DEA News Update

What up dicknuggets.

I sat in on a presentation by a well-renowned DEA Forensic Chemist for a brief update on trends for 2015-2016. I figured I'd share some of the highlights here with ya'll morons just for shits and giggles. This talk was specifically focusing on synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic cathinones/stimulants, and synthetic opioids.

NDEWS

Note: majority of data derived from DEA Laboratory System

Purity

Across the categories, majority of products are fairly pure upon importation and are cut domestically. The impurities are typically reaction and manufacturing byproducts rather than cuts.

Synthetic cannabinoids

Typically cut with dimethyl sulfone, nicotine, caffeine, among others

Cathinones

Cuts vary widely: inositol, benzocaine, lidocaine, caffeine, 4-MeO-methamphetamine, quinine. One sample observed cut with fentanyl, another cut with acetyl-fentanyl

Fentanyl + analogues

Typically cut with dipyrone, quinine, caffeine

S015 Substance Seizure Demographics

Cathinones

~50% of all cathinones samples (n=401) submitted to the labs in were ethylone, next largest group ~29% were alpha-PVP. Interestingly, 2014 saw 4 seizures consisting of mixed cathinone/synthetic cannabinoids

Suspected NBOMe's

Synthetic Opioids

Identification based on STARLIMS and NFLIS data.

Tracking manufacturing source of seized illicit fentanyl + analogues has been hard due to lack of impurities and little batch to batch variation. Suggests a very skilled manufacturing facilities.

DEA is aware of U-47700 as an "emerging threat" but has yet to be encountered. Based on their 8 forensic labs, they see the biggest exposure to AcO-fentanyl on the northeastern seaboard + southern California + Arizona.

Morbidity and Mortality

NBOMe's seem to be the biggest driver of adverse health outcomes for the novel psychoactive substances. 19 deaths between 2012-2013, overdoses continue to increase in frequency in 2014-2015. Acetyl-fentanyl has been implicated in 50 deaths from 2013-2015

Interesting factoids

From 2005 to 2007 there was a huge uptick in the amount of non-medical illicit fentanyl being seen in the market. This product was averaging 20-25% purity at the wholesale level. It was tracked back to a single production factory in Toluca Mexico. This product was responsible for over 1,000 deaths.

Of particular interest to the darknet


Comments


[24 Points] None:

You should x post this on /r/researchchemicals


[14 Points] powerman15:

For a second I thought you were going to tell me they're going their jobs better. Scared me


[11 Points] Throughawayup:

I'm surprised at the ratio of LSD seizures to 25-X seizures. Thanks for posting. Best post in a while.


[7 Points] AndThenHeSays4:

U-47700 does seem to be a hot item. But why are they even looking for it? It's not an analogue and it's not scheduled anywhere. So, even if they caught someone with a metric fuckton of U-47700...he/she would just walk, right?


[4 Points] GeneralStarkk:

Acetyl-fent had to have killed more people than 50 right? I went down twice personally last year.


[5 Points] Chardlz:

You wouldn't believe how long I read this for thinking they were talking about people getting seizures from these drugs. I thought to myself, "boy! isn't that a weird way to compare drugs, how odd". Not gonna lie, I'm very stoned right now but golly gee I feel dumb.


[1 Points] None:

god damned Mexico City always fucking shit up with mediocre copycat drugs as usual


[1 Points] GroovieonLSD:

I called my lawyer when I opened this thread, just to make sure he was still alive and on retainer...


[1 Points] LowerHaighter:

Full presentation and Q&A available online here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luAGZR1T69E&feature=youtu.be


[1 Points] Caymanquestion:

What up dicknuggets.

Not much, faggot


[0 Points] GiveMeYourXanax:

25% purity fentyl at wholesale level coming out of Mexico. I expected better from the cartels. What were the users getting 5% fentyl?


[-2 Points] ayyyyyThrowaway:

LSD can cause seizures? What's up with that?