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Title
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Dancing on coke : smuggling cocaine dispersed in polyvinyl alcohol
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Author
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Abstract
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| Recent trends suggest that cocaine smugglers have become more and more inventive to avoid seizures of large amounts of cocaine transported between countries. We report a case of a mail parcel containing a dance pad which was seized at the Customs Department of Brussels Airport, Belgium. After investigation, the inside of the dance pad was found to contain a thick polymer, which tested positive for cocaine. Analysis was performed using a routine colorimetric swipe test, gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The polymer was identified as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and contained 18% cocaine, corresponding to a street value of (sic) 20,000. Laboratory experiments showed that cocaine could be easily extracted from the PVA matrix. This case report reveals a new smuggling technique for the transportation of large amounts of cocaine from one country to another. |
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Language
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English
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Source (journal)
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Journal of forensic sciences. - Philadelphia, Pa
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Publication
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Philadelphia, Pa
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2012
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ISSN
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0022-1198
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DOI
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10.1111/J.1556-4029.2011.01947.X
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Volume/pages
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57
:1
(2012)
, p. 234-238
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ISI
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000298793800041
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Full text (Publisher's DOI)
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Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
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