Disappearing Weight for Meth?
Methamphetamine produced clandestinely frequently contains large amounts of various solvents. One common type of solvent is Freon (frequently R-11 or R-113) which may cause a significant problem with the determination of the net weight of an exhibit.
This potential problem will be most significant with larger chunks of Methamphetamine, especially with packages as they come from the source laboratory. At room temperature any trapped Freon will, over a period of perhaps months, evaporate from the packages resulting in significant loss of weight. This process is not limited to Freon and may include other solvents such as acetone.
Clandestine Methamphetamine may contain as much as 50% solvent by weight. Therefore, in the process of drying out, such an exhibit could lose up to 50% of its weight from the time it is acquired until the crime laboratory analyzes it. Since this may cause various problems, including a question of integrity, it is obviously important that any Officers who are working Methamphetamine cases are aware of this situation.
Although an exhibit of suspected Methamphetamine might appear to be dry, it may still contain significant amounts of Freon. On the other hand, the presence of strong chemical odor does not necessarily mean that the sample is very wet and is prone to undergo a significant weight loss over time.
Additionally, different solvents will evaporate at different rates. Freon R-11 is easily evaporated and, therefore, can cause significant weight loss very quickly. Freon R-113 evaporates more slowly and may take longer periods of time to cause significant weight loss.
It is recommended that any evidence of this type be weighed in the presence of a witness and submitted to the crime laboratory as soon as possible after receipt.
Quinine as a Cutting Agent
It has been reported around the country that the most popular cutting agent now being seen for Heroin is Quinine. This creates an interesting development within the field tests and should be noted by your Officers.
Due to the reliability of the Mecke's Reagent (#924 pouch or #7624 tube) versus the general screening Marquis, we strongly recommend the use of Mecke's. However, when the Quinine-cut Heroin is introduced into the first ampoule of Mecke's, you obtain a fluorescent yellow color. Some Officers have interpreted this color as the same family of colors as the green color Mecke's develops for Heroin in the second ampoule.
It should be noted that the color that develops in the first ampoule in Mecke's is of no importance with the exception of purple. Even though the circle on the first ampoule shows a clear color, that clear is meant to indicate to the Officer that we are not looking for a specific color. Certain shades may develop due to the resins within the Heroin (Black Tar or Brown) or possible cutting agents like Quinine (fluorescent yellow). These colors can be totally ignored.
However, if purple were to develop, this would indicate the presence of Ecstasy. Only Ecstasy will develop a definite purple color within 30 seconds of agitation of the first ampoule.
If no purple were to develop and the color is any other shade (clear, tan, light brown, fluorescent yellow), break the second ampoule, agitate and allow the color to develop. If Heroin is present, a green color will slowly develop. If Quinine was present and the first color was a fluorescent yellow, you will see the green color slowly filter through the pouch as you agitate after breaking the second ampoule.
Don't allow yourself to be tricked into reading the first color as a positive test result. To obtain a positive in the Mecke's, it is the second ampoule that is critical.
Marquis vs. Mecke's for Heroin Testing
For years Officers have relied on the Marquis Reagent as the singular positive field test for Heroin. When many of the designer style drugs and newer methods of manufacturing Methamphetamine were not present, the Marquis was an adequate Heroin test.
However, times have changed and it is time for our testing methods to change with it. Too many false readings are being seen with the Marquis. We have seen situations with various chemicals, residual products from Pseudoephedrine tablets (Guiafinicine) and even cremated human remains having caused false readings. All of these situations can cause false arrest and possible liability situations for your Department.
Those Departments interested in comprehensive Heroin testing are all using the Mecke's Reagent (#924 pouch or #7624 tube) as their choice. There are no false positive situations sneaking by Mecke's and it is allowing Departments far more comfort in knowing their charges will be upheld. If you would like to test and evaluate the Mecke's test, please call us at 1-800-852-0300 to request your sample. Start eliminating those false positive situations . . .start using the Mecke's Reagent today!
When Will Methamphetamine Hit Your Area
For the past couple of years we have seen Methamphetamine making its steady march across the United States. Originally, it was seen as a West Coast scourge. Then it slowly took over in the Rocky Mountains and eventually transformed the Mid West into a Meth wasteland.
However, on the East Coast many jurisdictions are still looking with a jaundiced eye at whether or not Meth will really hit their areas. The best intelligence would suggest that this region will start to see Meth and in large quantities.
Your Departments can be prepared for the oncoming Methamphetamine epidemic. Do yourselves a favor and educate your Officers on the Meth indicators.
Most of your Departments will be first alerted to the pending Meth surge by your Patrol Divisions. These Officers will receive the calls from the local stores or respond to the calls from residents concerning the new smells and offensive odors from possible clandestine lab production.
Don't take the Methamphetamine warning lightly! This controlled substance is one of the most dangerous to hit our streets. Educate your Officers early on how to respond to possible clandestine labs. Know the emergency numbers of your local DEA offices and other authorized agencies which can assist you in the proper shutdown of clandestine labs. Don't allow your Officers to become exposed to these dangers. One life saved in the investigation of these dangerous laboratories is worth the time to educate all of us...
Certification Classes
Departments are constantly requesting certification classes for both their narcotic sections as well as patrol divisions. We have long made the effort of offering these classes to all Departments at No Charge. Since ODV currently trains at almost all DEA Two-week Basic Officers Narcotic Schools across the country, we are generally in your area a few times each year.
All training utilizes field tests that are OSHA accepted and covers the many safety concerns facing Departments. Due to the ever changing drug scene, these classes also cover the new substances of MDMA (Ecstasy), Rohypnol (Roofies) and GHB. An extensive period is also spent on the nationwide epidemic of Methamphetamine and showing Officers the proven methods of differentiating Amphetamines from Meth.
These training sessions are between 2-3 hours in length depending on the number of Officers being trained. Due to the expense of traveling, we encourage the Host Department to invite surrounding agencies. We will provide all training materials (instruction sheets, technical updates, flowcharts and field tests) and request the Host Department to provide the training site and a small amount of controlled substance for the hands-on session. The controlled substance we recommend is a choice of three (3) of the main substances your agency experiences in your jurisdiction. The standard substances are Cocaine/Crack, Marijuana, Methamphetamine and Heroin. The first three are the industry standards today with Heroin being added in certain areas. The Instructors used for this training are all qualified and approved through their extensive backgrounds in the law enforcement area.
If your agency has a requirement for training, please feel free to contact us @ 1-800-852-0300. We will make the effort to include your agency in our circuit at the first available opportunity.
The Rise of MDMA or Ecstasy
Throughout the eastern part of the United States, we are seeing an ever-increasing amount of Ecstasy. Officers across the country are asking the question of how do we field test for Ecstasy with the current group of field tests.
The simplest and most accurate method requires a two (2) step procedure:
-- Enter a small amount of suspected Ecstasy into the Marquis Reagent (#902 pouch or #7602 tube).
-- Upon breakage of the single ampoule, you will see an immediate very dark Purple or Black color develop.
-- To confirm the presence of Ecstasy, now enter a small amount of material into the Methamphetamine Reagent (#923 pouch or #7623 tube).
-- Breaking the ampoules in sequence, if a dark Blue color develops after the breakage of the last ampoule Ecstasy is present.
Please note: The Methamphetamine Reagent is the standard sodium nitro-prusside bench test for secondary amines. There are two common secondary amines on the street today, Methamphetamine and Ecstasy. By using the Marquis Reagent first, we screen the substance to turn either Orange to Brown in 12 seconds (Amphetamines or Methamphetamine) or Dark Purple to Black immediately (Ecstasy). By then proceeding to the Meth test, we can either confirm the presence of Ecstasy (dark blue reaction) or differentiate between Amphetamines (Pink to Reddish Brown).
Click here to view, and request the NarcoPouch® Substance Flowchart
Have an article of interest to share? Comments? We would love to hear from you...call 1-800-852-0300
© ODV, Inc. 1999
celebrating 30 years of service
19691999