@article{ref1,
title="Dancing on Coke: Smuggling Cocaine Dispersed in Polyvinyl Alcohol",
journal="Journal of forensic sciences",
year="2011",
author="van Nuijs, Alexander L. N. and Maudens, Kristof E. and Lambert, Willy E. and Van Calenbergh, Serge and Risseeuw, Martijn D. P. and Van Hee, Paul and Covaci, Adrian and Neels, Hugo",
volume="57",
number="1",
pages="234-238",
abstract="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 € 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.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0022-1198",
doi="10.1111/j.1556-4029.2011.01947.x",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1556-4029.2011.01947.x"
}