Samar Gewily
Dubai Police Forensic Laboratory, UAE
Title: Physical and chemical characterisation of captagon tablets seized in Dubai in 2016
Biography
Biography: Samar Gewily
Abstract
Illicit production of Captagon tablets has become widely spread in the Middle East recently. Around 5% of cases of seized drugs in Dubai in 2016 were Captagon. Originally Captagon is the trademark name of Fenethylline, however studies and chemical analysis of seized tablets has proven the absence of Fenethylline, rather it showed different combinations of Amphetamine, Caffeine and other compounds. In this study, total of 20 representative samples from different cases were analysed chemically using Gas Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS), and Micro X-Ray Fluorescence (µXRF) to determine organic and inorganic content. In addition, samples were physically characterised using 3D microscope. Based on results, comparisons were made between samples and linked to information on originality as a first step towards Captagon Profiling.