Abstract

This paper concerns the chemical profile of 154 samples collected from cocaine seizures made by units of the Moroccan royal gendarmerie during the period 2007-2016. This retrospective study shows that 84% of seized products are adulterated with a purity variable from 17% to 90%. The main drug-type additives detected remain levamisole and phenacetin, in accordance with international data. However, some differences were found in comparison with these same data, principally for minor constituents, caffeine, lidocaine, paracetamol and hydroxyzine. This differentiation could be beneficial for chemical profiling of cocaine seizures.

Keywords: Forensic investigation; Cocaine; Adulterants; Purity; Levamisole; Phenacetin

Abbreviations: ICGR: Institut de Criminalistique de la Gendarmerie Royale; UNODC: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime; GC-FID: Gas Chromatography Equipped with Flame Ionization Detector; GC-MS: Gas Chromatography Coupled to Mass Spectrometry)