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

• NCJ Number: 214498
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 51 Issue: 3 Dated: May 2006 Pages: 597-602
• Author(s): Michael Collins Ph.D.; Ellen Casale Ph.D.; D. Brynn Hibbert Ph.D.; Sini Panicker M.S.; James Robertson Ph.D.; Sasha Vujic B.Sc.
• Date Published: May 2006
• Length: 6 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Test/Measurement
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Heroin samples seized from the North Korean merchant vessel Pong Su in Australian waters were analyzed to determine their geographic origin.

Abstract

The alkaloid ratios determined by both liquid chromatography-diode array detection and capillary electrophoresis-diode array detection techniques were consistent with heroin of a Southeast Asian origin. Principal component analysis of the alkaloid results showed the presence of at least four subgroupings within the seizure. The solvent analysis detected diethyl ether and ethyl acetate, which are solvents typically found in Southeast Asian heroin. The acid/neutral analysis, however, identified compounds not usually found in heroin of Southeast Asian origin. Also, sterol-like molecules, which are always detected in the acid/neutral analysis of Southeast Asian heroin, were absent from the Pong Su samples. At the time of this report, the unexplained differences between the Pong Su samples and previously tested Southeast Asian heroin warranted classifying the Pong Su samples as of unknown origin. The profiling was done on 100 randomly selected blocks from the 216 blocks of seized heroin. One-gram core samples from each of the 100 heroin blocks were sent to the National Measurement Institute's Australian Forensic Drug laboratory for identification and purity analysis. Because of the nature and size of the seizure, the decision was made to conduct chemical profiling on the samples in order to determine their geographical origin. The description of testing methods addresses reagents and standards, major alkaloid analysis by liquid chromatography, major alkaloid analysis by capillary electrophoresis, solvent analysis by purge and trap gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), solvent analysis by headspace GC-MS, acid/neutral analysis by GC-MS, and the statistical and chemometric analysis of data. 3 tables, 6 figures, and 12 references