What’s Inside Volume 4 (October, 2012) Clan Lab—Synthetic Cannabinoids A pictorial tour of a busted clandestine lab producing and packaging synthetic cannabinoids Emergency Measures —One State’s Answer A look at what Georgia is doing to combat the synthetic drug problem Synthetic Cannabinoids—What do the Prefixes Mean? A clarification of the prefixes associated with synthetic cannabinoids Cocaine Swipes– Confirm Probable Cause? A discussion of the purpose and usage of Cocaine Swipes. False Positive in the Mecke’s Reagent (Heroin) A notification of the recent discovery of a substance that will elicit a false positive for Heroin when using the Mecke’s reagent. Substances on the Horizon An article outlining the new synthetic substances that have been identified and may become problems in the near future. Clan Lab – Synthetic Cannabinoids Toward the end of June, 2012, a joint operation between the Palm Beach County Sheriff ’s Office (Narcotics) and the DEA Palm Beach Resident Office successfully raided and dismantled a clandestine laboratory for synthetic cannabinoids. The following is a series of pictures which have been shared in order to help educate law enforcement across the country on the ease of manufacturing synthetics and some of things you should be watching for in your fight against these labs. Appearance of the synthetic cannabinoid final product. SIRCHIE ® This series of pictures gives you an excellent overview of the simplicity of the lab. Now for the revenue associated: A typical lab will have an annual cost of $200,000.00 in materials for manufacturing. This translates into $.50 per package of substance. ® Products • Vehicles • Training Phone: 800.356.7311, 919.554.2244 Fax: 800.899.8181, 919.554.2266 www.sirchie.com Sacks of Marshmallow Incense Clan Lab mixing area Water pitchers for mixing Jugs of K2 flavoring Suggestions for Nark News Topics If you have any topic suggestions for upcoming editions of NARK News, please send them to: Jack Thorndike at jackthorndike@aol.com. Sign up for Nark News Subscribing to NARK News is FREE. If your copy of the newsletter was forwarded to you or other officers within your department want to receive it, simply send a short note to Jack Thorndike at jackthorndike@aol.com. We will be pleased to add your name to future editions. cont. on next page Mixing Cannabinoid with Incense Drying Sheets Synthetic Drugs like “Bath Salts”, “K2”, and “Spice” come in colorful packaging designed to appeal to teens. SIRCHIE ® ® Products • Vehicles • Training Flavoring is applied before Packaging Containers and product ready for packaging Phone: 800.356.7311, 919.554.2244 Fax: 800.899.8181, 919.554.2266 www.sirchie.com Suggestions for Nark News Topics If you have any topic suggestions for upcoming editions of NARK News, please send them to: Jack Thorndike at jackthorndike@aol.com. Sign up for Nark News Labeling machine for outer package Assorted K2 Brands organized and stored cont. on next page Subscribing to NARK News is FREE. If your copy of the newsletter was forwarded to you or other officers within your department want to receive it, simply send a short note to Jack Thorndike at jackthorndike@aol.com. We will be pleased to add your name to future editions. These packages would then be sold for $5.00 per package to a jobber, who in turn would sell them to the convenience stores and outlets for $10.00 per package. In the Palm Beach area these same packages would then be sold for around $15.00 per package. If these same packages were sold in locations further north; Georgia; South Carolina; North Carolina; the pricing would rise accordingly to $20.00, $25.00 or possibly as high as $35.00 per package. Typical appearance of K2 foil package purchased on the Internet or in convenience stores SIRCHIE ® ® Products • Vehicles • Training Phone: 800.356.7311, 919.554.2244 Fax: 800.899.8181, 919.554.2266 www.sirchie.com For information on Sirchie’s full line of disguised surveillance vehicles contact us at: 1-800-545-7375 or vehicles@sirchie.com Secure information is available online with a user name and password provided by our Vehicle Division Since the raid and arrests have taken place, one of the defendants has since turned over almost $1,000,000.00 in currency to the DEA office. The operation was a huge success. The undercover efforts put forth by both the Palm Beach County Sheriff ’s Office Narcotics Unit as well as the agents associated with the West Palm Beach Resident Office of the DEA should be heartily congratulated. I was given access to these photos and some details regarding the case in order to better inform officers across the country with what these clan labs look like and to impress upon everyone the simplicity of these million dollar operations. If you require additional information on the case, you may direct your inquiries to either: Lt. Dennis St Cyr (stcyrd@pbso.org) or Capt. Eric Coleman (colemane@pbso.org). Emergency Measures – One State’s Answer We are all aware of the new Federal “Synthetic Drug Abuse Prevention Act of 2012”. Many people have questioned whether the legislation went far enough and whether we would be better off simply legislating “classes of substances” rather than specific substances. We have tried to address this “class of substance” issue in other articles. Let’s instead look at the State of Georgia’s alternate approach to this problem. Effective June 11, 2012, the Georgia State Board of Pharmacy sent a directive pursuant to their Emergency Rule 480—34-.04 Synthetic Cannabinoids informing law enforcement that (www. sos.ga.gov/plb/pharmacy/ ) “Pursuant to O.C.G.A Section 26-4-28(a) (9), the Board has the right to seize any drugs and devices found by the Board to constitute an imminent danger to the public health and welfare.” The stated reason for the adoption of this rule: “The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has determined that synthetic cannabinoids are now appearing throughout Georgia at an increased level. Documented Poison Center reports show that users of synthetic cannabinoids can experience symptoms that include, but are not limited to, the following: altered mental status, lethargy, short-term coma, seizures, and psychosis. Previously, during the 2010 Legislative Session, the Legislature banned all forms of synthetic cannabinoids as Schedule I substances in the State of Georgia. However, manufacturers altered their formulas to bypass the effectiveness of the law. During the 2012 Legislative Session, the Legislature revisited this issue and passed a more inclusive law, SB 370 (“Chase’s Law”), which covered all variations of the chemical compounds within the synthetic cannabinoid products. However, manufacturers have now begun changing the molecular structure of the drug altogether in order to circumvent the current law. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has determined that synthetic cannabinoids manufactured using these new molecular structures have begun appearing in Georgia. In addition, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has been able to identify these new molecular structures comprising these new versions of synthetic cannabinoids. In order to protect the general health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of the State of Georgia, an emergency rule is being adopted to immediately classify these new molecular structures as Class I substances under the Georgia Controlled Substances Act.” What does all this mean? Simply, law enforcement needed a way to react to the ever increasing health hazards synthetic cannabinoids pose. This emergency rule allows them to seize the substances and place them into evidence. Let’s look at a recent raid conducted in a major Indiana city. Drug Task Force Agents raided two independent smoke shops and seized all of their synthetic cont. on next page SIRCHIE ® ® Products • Vehicles • Training Phone: 800.356.7311, 919.554.2244 Fax: 800.899.8181, 919.554.2266 www.sirchie.com Suggestions for Nark News Topics If you have any topic suggestions for upcoming editions of NARK News, please send them to: Jack Thorndike at jackthorndike@aol.com. Sign up for Nark News Subscribing to NARK News is FREE. If your copy of the newsletter was forwarded to you or other officers within your department want to receive it, simply send a short note to Jack Thorndike at jackthorndike@aol.com. We will be pleased to add your name to future editions. cannabinoid inventory as well as the cash proceeds in both stores for the one day. These cash proceeds added up to a total of $30,000.00 for both stores. It was also reported that the bulk of these proceeds were attributed to synthetic cannabinoid sales. If you were to assume this revenue was representative of a standard day, the annual revenue generated from these two stores would come to $10,950,000.00. Remember, this represents two small smoke shops in one city. The amount of total revenue generated from synthetic substances across the country is frightening. SIRCHIE ® ® Products • Vehicles • Training Phone: 800.356.7311, 919.554.2244 Fax: 800.899.8181, 919.554.2266 www.sirchie.com Suggestions for Nark News Topics If you have any topic suggestions for upcoming editions of NARK News, please send them to: Jack Thorndike at jackthorndike@aol.com. Sign up for Nark News Subscribing to NARK News is FREE. If your copy of the newsletter was forwarded to you or other officers within your department want to receive it, simply send a short note to Jack Thorndike at jackthorndike@aol.com. We will be pleased to add your name to future editions. Could the Georgia Emergency Statutes assist you in your State? This is certainly something for all states to consider as the battle against these synthetic substances continues. Synthetic Cannabinoids What do the Prefixes Mean? For many of us, the letter designations for the various synthetic cannabinoids are simply alphabet soup. Let’s try and clarify where these letter prefixes came from: • AM – named after the Northeastern University Professor Alexandros Makriyannis, these compounds are all fluorinated. • HU – these substances were first designed and tested at the Hebrew University. • JWH – all of these compounds were named after Professor John W. Huffman from Clemson University that received the Federal Grant to study synthetic cannabinoids. • CP – Pfizer developed these compounds in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. In the case of the HU compounds, these substances are reported to be 100 to 800 times more potent than natural THC. Substances like HU-210 are a potent analgesic but do not produce cannabis type effects that act on the cannabinoid receptor. Fortunately the substance is covered under the new Federal Law and is listed as a synthetic cannabinoid. ® CB1 and CB2 – Why the Notoriety? Products • Vehicles • Training When we read the new Federal Law and virtually all State legislation for synthetic cannabinoids, there is some reference made to the CB1 and CB2 receptors. We have neurotransmitters in the brain which are regulated by proteins associated with these receptors. The theory is that the synthetic cannabinoids have a better potency and bind better and longer to these receptors than natural THC. • RCS – these substances appear to have been originally developed in a lab in mainland China. SIRCHIE cont. on next page ® Phone: 800.356.7311, 919.554.2244 Fax: 800.899.8181, 919.554.2266 www.sirchie.com Suggestions for Nark News Topics If you have any topic suggestions for upcoming editions of NARK News, please send them to: Jack Thorndike at jackthorndike@aol.com. Sign up for Nark News • WIN – these substances are credited to Sterling Winthrop. Here’s additional information why some of the above permutations have surfaced. The “AM” compounds were looking to increase the duration by ? adding a fluorine on the end of the pentyl chain. The substance they came up with was the increasingly popular AM-2201. In the case of the RCS group, they were attempting to decrease the anxiety seen from compounds like JWH-250. This developed the original RCS compound of RCS-4. Subscribing to NARK News is FREE. If your copy of the newsletter was forwarded to you or other officers within your department want to receive it, simply send a short note to Jack Thorndike at jackthorndike@aol.com. We will be pleased to add your name to future editions. How Long do these Synthetic Cannabinoids Stay in the System? We are all aware that many users are taking synthetic cannabinoids because of the increased high they receive. Another added bonus for users is the much shorter duration the synthetics stay in the system than standard THC. On average, we see approximately 72 hours for urine testing and 24/48 hours for saliva testing (Standard THC will stay in the system for: 15 days – casual user; 30 days – habitual user). SIRCHIE ® ® Products • Vehicles • Training Phone: 800.356.7311, 919.554.2244 Fax: 800.899.8181, 919.554.2266 www.sirchie.com For information on Sirchie’s full line of disguised surveillance vehicles contact us at: 1-800-545-7375 or vehicles@sirchie.com Secure information is available online with a user name and password provided by our Vehicle Division Law enforcement is well aware of the lack of a standard colorimetric field test, but with the science being different for urinalysis, there are tests available. Even though this chemistry does identify the synthetic cannabinoids, it also faces problems with making sure they cover all of the new generation compounds. Cocaine Swipes– Confirm Probable Cause? Back in the mid 80’s, Cocaine Swipes were originally introduced for trace amounts of substance. They were not designed nor were they capable of replacing the standard presumptive field tests for cocaine (#NARK2007 – Scott Reagent Modified - pouch; #NAR10004 – Cobalt Thiocyanate - tube & #NAR10013 – Cobalt Thiocyanate Modified - tube). The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) studied presumptive color tests (N.I.J. Standard #0604.01) and wrote their standard (www.nij.gov/pubssum/183258.htm ) which stipulated what specific chemistry must be used, how it should be packaged and what specific colors would develop in the presence of the various controlled substances. The Cocaine Swipes did not meet this specific standard. Understand that the swipe (#NS20150 – Cocaine Swipes) is a towelette soaked in the 1st ampoule of the standard cocaine field test. It was originally designed to allow officers to continue investigations or justify search warrants if they encounter limited quantities of substance. If you were searching a vehicle and found a hidden compartment with residue in the area, you might suspect the presence of cocaine. By taking the swipe and it turning blue, this would confirm your suspicion. The same is true for an officer that found a crack pipe in a drawer and then a small zip lock bag with a tiny amount of residue during a trash pull. You might take the swipe and test the small residue to see whether it turned blue. If you were to enter a suspected crack dealers home and suspected him “cooking” his crack in a microwave, you might wipe the interior of the oven to see whether you received the blue color reaction. Sirchie’s Cocaine ID Swipes come in boxes of 50 each. SIRCHIE ® ® Products • Vehicles • Training Blue specks indicative of the presence of cocaine. However, there are some limitations to this product. In each of the scenarios above, the amount of substance you have would not be enough to file charges. Secondly, since the color reaction you have received is Blue, this offers only ONE color reaction where the tube field test will have three color reactions and the pouch test will have four color reactions. Lastly, the chemistry soaked on the towelette will color react with many stringent type substances found in household cleaners (Javex, Comet, laundry detergents, bathroom cleaners, etc). cont. on next page Phone: 800.356.7311, 919.554.2244 Fax: 800.899.8181, 919.554.2266 www.sirchie.com Suggestions for Nark News Topics If you have any topic suggestions for upcoming editions of NARK News, please send them to: Jack Thorndike at jackthorndike@aol.com. Sign up for Nark News Subscribing to NARK News is FREE. If your copy of the newsletter was forwarded to you or other officers within your department want to receive it, simply send a short note to Jack Thorndike at jackthorndike@aol.com. We will be pleased to add your name to future editions. For these reasons, we ask departments to be very discriminatory in how they use the Cocaine Swipes and please DO NOT ask them to perform a task for which they were never designed. SIRCHIE ® I am constantly asked whether we have plans to introduce swipes for Heroin or Methamphetamine? The simple answer – NO. Due to the sensitivity of both the Heroin field test (Mecke’s Reagent Modified: #NARK20011 – pouch; #NAR10016 – tube) and Methamphetamine field test (Sodium Nitroprusside Reagent: #NARK20015 – pouch; #NAR10015 – tube), it is not necessary to ever consider a swipe. ® Products • Vehicles • Training Phone: 800.356.7311, 919.554.2244 Fax: 800.899.8181, 919.554.2266 www.sirchie.com Suggestions for Nark News Topics If you have any topic suggestions for upcoming editions of NARK News, please send them to: Jack Thorndike at jackthorndike@aol.com. Sign up for Nark News Subscribing to NARK News is FREE. If your copy of the newsletter was forwarded to you or other officers within your department want to receive it, simply send a short note to Jack Thorndike at jackthorndike@aol.com. We will be pleased to add your name to future editions. If you ever want to test residue for either Heroin or Meth, simply take a cotton swab and rub it across the suspected area. Clip off the cotton portion and drop it directly into the field test and proceed like normal. The sensitivity of both tests will react with such a small amount of these substances, the tests themselves will act like a residue swipe test. The reason a Cocaine swipe was ever required is the amount of material required to kick the threshold of the Cocaine field test is much higher and the trace amounts on these surfaces is not sufficient. False Positive in the Mecke’s Reagent (Heroin) At the end of August, I attended the Wisconsin Narcotic Officers Association and came upon a potential false positive for the Mecke’s Reagent (#NARK20011 – pouch; #NAR10016 – tube). A Drug Task Force approached me with the issue that a standard vitamin “C” tablet created a positive reaction in the Mecke’s Reagent. This specific vitamin is one of my daily vitamins, so the next morning we all met and conducted the test. To properly conduct the test you should place a very small amount of substance in the test, break and agitate the 1st ampoule for 30 seconds. Then break and agitate the 2nd ampoule and you will develop a Green color which will slowly deepen in color intensity. and finally the color started to intensify. This would be considered a positive reaction. 2) We placed the same amount of substance in the pouch, broke the left ampoule and agitated for the proper 30 seconds. We then proceeded to the 2nd ampoule, broke and agitated. We saw the Green color develop within a few seconds and slowly intensify over the next 15-20 seconds. This would also be considered a positive reaction. 3) Lastly we overloaded the pouch with some powder and a couple of small chunks of the vitamin. Again we broke the 1st ampoule and agitated for the full 30 seconds. We then moved on to the 2nd ampoule and receive an immediate Green which continued to intensify. This test was also deemed to be a positive reaction. SIRCHIE ® ® Products • Vehicles • Training Phone: 800.356.7311, 919.554.2244 Fax: 800.899.8181, 919.554.2266 www.sirchie.com Suggestions for Nark News Topics When we conducted the test in Green Bay we did three variations of the test using the pouch configuration). In order to simulate Heroin we reduced the vitamin “C” tablet down into powder form. 1) We placed a small amount of substance in the pouch, broke the left ampoule and only agitated for 5-10 seconds. We then proceeded to the 2nd ampoule, broke and agitated and saw little color develop initially, but slowly a light green developed Vitamin C can cause a false positive for Heroin with the Mecke’s Reagent If you have any topic suggestions for upcoming editions of NARK News, please send them to: Jack Thorndike at jackthorndike@aol.com. From a technical standpoint nothing was done incorrectly and the substance did in fact offer up a false positive substance to the officer. Now let’s look at all of the circumstances surrounding the case. cont. on next page Sign up for Nark News Subscribing to NARK News is FREE. If your copy of the newsletter was forwarded to you or other officers within your department want to receive it, simply send a short note to Jack Thorndike at jackthorndike@aol.com. We will be pleased to add your name to future editions. This substance was offered as Heroin to an undercover agent and was in a powdered form (white). The same person then came back to the bar the next night and offered the same undercover agent more Heroin (the same powdered substance). Later the individual stated he knew the “Heroin” was fake. When we all discussed these circumstances we came up with a couple of inconsistencies. SIRCHIE ® ® Products • Vehicles • Training Phone: 800.356.7311, 919.554.2244 Fax: 800.899.8181, 919.554.2266 www.sirchie.com For information on Sirchie’s full line of disguised surveillance vehicles contact us at: 1-800-545-7375 or vehicles@sirchie.com Secure information is available online with a user name and password provided by our Vehicle Division 1. Does it make sense that the person offering “fake” Heroin would go back to the same bar and offer the same person another bump? That would be taking a huge chance that the undercover agent did not USE the substance they bought the night earlier. 2. What color is Heroin in Wisconsin and especially the region where this specific buy took place? All Heroin in this region had been brown to this point. This case raised some interesting points. It made us aware that there is a false positive substance readily available that can cause the proper reaction and we wanted to make sure all agencies receiving this newsletter were informed as soon as possible. Just as importantly, it drives home the point that when we analyzed all that was done in the case, we did find some holes in the “confirming of probable cause”. At all times we must remember that there is potential for false positives in all field tests and that they are presumptive. This is the reason I always stress in training that the field test is simply the ribbon and bow on the package. Your probable cause that led you as a trained officer to believe there is a controlled substance is your strongest probable cause. Before ever testing a substance, review your probable cause with a critical eye and do not jump to the conclusion that the substance is obviously controlled. Substances on the Horizon With the knowledge we have the new Synthetic Drug Law of July 9th under our belt and with state legislators reacting constantly by updating their Controlled Substance Act’s (CSA’s) and adding analog legislation, what do we have to look toward in the future? It seems new substances are just around the corner and coming at us fast. a-PVP: The Federal Synthetic Act covered two synthetic methcathinones; MDPV and Methylone. Unfortunately, there are a total of thirteen synthetic methcathinones which can be made. The substance a-PVP (a-pyrrolidinopentiophenone) has been seen across the country and seems to be gaining in popularity. This substance has the same general effects as MDPV but appears to react within the system much quicker. It is also known by the chemistry name of #O-2387. M-PPP: The proper name for the substance is 1-methyl-4-phenyl-4propionoxypiperidine or also referred to as Desmethylprodine. It is an opioid analgesic that was developed in the 1940’s by Hoffman LaRoche. It has no medical purpose and is currently listed as a Schedule I substance within the U.S. The substance itself has about 70% the potency of morphine. This substance is starting to be seen around the country and may become more popular in the future. Naphyrone: Naphyrone is sometimes referred to as #O-2482, but the proper name is naphthylpyrovalerone. This is another synthetic Methcathinone that is not covered under the recent Federal Act but has received a tremendous popularity throughout Britain. The high potency of Naphyrone suggests that the risks of accidental overdose are very real. The substance is normally found as a fine-white, off-white or yellow powder and is either snorted or wrapped in paper and swallowed (bombed). The substance was derived from Pyrovalerone which was originally designed in the 1960’s as an appetite suppressant and to battle combat fatigue. SIRCHIE ® ® Products • Vehicles • Training Phone: 800.356.7311, 919.554.2244 Fax: 800.899.8181, 919.554.2266 www.sirchie.com XF-947 (UR-144): This is a new synthetic cannabinoid that is receiving some very different opinions. On one side, some interpret XF-947 as a new “base formula” which has no relationship to the original five (5) synthetic cannabinoids covered under the original DEA Emergency Legislation or the new Federal Law of July 9th. Some look at this formulation and state is “similar” to #JWH-308 (one of the original analog formulations) and as a result, they see it as covered under the new legislation. I recently encountered Suggestions for Nark News Topics If you have any topic suggestions for upcoming editions of NARK News, please send them to: Jack Thorndike at jackthorndike@aol.com. Sign up for Nark News Subscribing to NARK News is FREE. If your copy of the newsletter was forwarded to you or other officers within your department want to receive it, simply send a short note to Jack Thorndike at jackthorndike@aol.com. We will be pleased to add your name to future editions. this substance at the Wisconsin Narcotics Officers Association and look forward to seeing how the Courts are going to deal with it. If your agency has seen XF-947, please contact me with the Court determination so we can pass this along to other agencies (jackthorndike@ aol.com). Field Test Answers to the New Substances SIRCHIE ® ® Products • Vehicles • Training Phone: 800.356.7311, 919.554.2244 Fax: 800.899.8181, 919.554.2266 www.sirchie.com Suggestions for Nark News Topics If you have any topic suggestions for upcoming editions of NARK News, please send them to: Jack Thorndike at jackthorndike@aol.com. Sign up for Nark News Subscribing to NARK News is FREE. If your copy of the newsletter was forwarded to you or other officers within your department want to receive it, simply send a short note to Jack Thorndike at jackthorndike@aol.com. We will be pleased to add your name to future editions. We are working toward answers for the first three substances: a-PVP; M-PPP and Naphyrone. We hope to have third party verification for at least one of the substances completed by the time you read the 5th Edition of the NARK News in December. XF-947 is another issue. Unfortunately, this substance is going to pose the same problems as the other synthetic cannabinoids. The complexity of the chemistry itself, coupled with the interference from the incense materials, makes it almost impossible to develop a colorimetric field test that will not have too many unacceptable false positives. Sirchie® will not offer field tests to law enforcement that have not received 3rd party verification. All tests must follow the stringent NIJ standards and give law enforcement the comfort of knowing the products they are using will in fact stand up under the critical review of their state or federal crime labs.