title: Drug intelligence based on MDMA tablets data: 2. Physical characteristics profiling.
abstract: One of the tasks of the European project entitled "Collaborative Harmonisation of Methods for Profiling of Amphetamine Type Stimulants" (CHAMP) funded by the sixth framework programme of the European Commission was to develop a harmonised methodology for MDMA profiling and the creation of a common database in a drug intelligence perspective. Part I was dedicated to the analysis of organic impurities formed during synthesis in order to investigate traffic tendencies and highlight potential links between samples, whereas this part focuses on physical characteristics of the MDMA tablets. Diameter, thickness, weight and score were demonstrated to be reliable and relevant features in this drug intelligence perspective. Distributions of samples coming from the same post-tabletting batch (post-TB) and samples coming from different post-TB were very well discriminated by using the squared Euclidean or the Manhattan distance on standardised data. Our findings demonstrated the possibility to discriminate between MDMA samples issued from different post-TB and to find out links between samples coming from a same post-TB. Furthermore, the hypothesis that most of the MDMA samples found on the international market come from the same countries was supported.
authors: School of Criminal Sciences, BCH, University of Lausanne, Bâtiment Batochime, CH-1015 Lausanne-Dorigny, Switzerland. raymond.marquis@unil.ch
authors: Raymond
authors: R
authors: Marquis
authors: Céline
authors: C
authors: Weyermann
authors: Céline
authors: C
authors: Delaporte
authors: Pierre
authors: P
authors: Esseiva
authors: Laura
authors: L
authors: Aalberg
authors: Fabrice
authors: F
authors: Besacier
authors: Joseph S
authors: JS
authors: Bozenko
authors: Rainer
authors: R
authors: Dahlenburg
authors: Carola
authors: C
authors: Kopper
authors: Frantisek
authors: F
authors: Zrcek