What Does the Drug Seized in Ecuador Really Contain?
Cocaine consumption represents one of the most complex public health problems of our era. Although the use of coca leaf dates back 5000 years, when pre-Inca civilizations used it for medicinal and therapeutic purposes, the substance we know today is far from that ancestral plant 1 .
Currently, illicit cocaine is not only the active ingredient extracted from the Erytroxylum coca Lam shrub, but a potentially dangerous chemical cocktail whose exact composition has begun to be revealed by forensic scientists in Ecuador.
A 2016 study in Chimborazo province analyzed 90 samples of seized cocaine, revealing alarming data: approximately half contained dangerous impurities and multiple adulterants designed to increase volume and enhance effects 1 .
Pure cocaine is a natural alkaloid extracted from coca leaves, but by the time it reaches the streets, it has undergone multiple processing and adulteration stages.
During production, cocaine is systematically mixed with adulterants including talc (magnesium silicate), sucrose, lactose, mannitol and glucose, to more dangerous compounds such as phenacetin, levamisole, caffeine, nicotine, lidocaine, procaine, benzocaine, and other local anesthetics or stimulants 1 .
Consumption of adulterated cocaine represents an emerging public health problem, as it is the most consumed illicit psychotropic among patients treated in emergency rooms, and the leading cause of deaths related to drug misuse 1 .
Few health professionals know the effects of the multiple substances present in adulterated cocaine, which complicates diagnosis and treatment of intoxications.
When cocaine enters the human body, it is metabolized into 45% benzoylecgonine by chemical hydrolysis and a similar percentage into ecgonine methyl ester by enzymatic hydrolysis 1 . These substances affect the central nervous system and generate immediate effects such as vasoconstriction, mydriasis, hyperthermia, tachycardia and hypertension.
In the medium and long term, they can cause arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, chest pain, respiratory failure, cerebrovascular conditions, seizures, headache, nausea, abdominal pain, anorexia and malnutrition 1 .
Ecuador is in a critical geographical position within international drug trafficking routes, functioning as a transit, gathering and storage country for cocaine produced mainly in Colombia 3 . This situation has been reflected in a dramatic increase in seizures in recent years.
According to official data, in 2020 128 tons of drugs were seized, a figure that increased to 210 tons in 2021 and 201 tons in 2022 3 . In just the first months of 2023, 31 tons had already been seized, with operations confiscating up to 9 tons in a single weekend 3 .
Ecuador's position makes it a key transit point in international drug trafficking networks
Faced with this growing volume of seized drugs, Ecuador has implemented an innovative technique for its destruction: encapsulation. This method, recommended by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in 2019, allows the destruction of 1.8 tons of drugs per hour, compared to the 70-80 kilos per hour achieved through incineration 3 .
The process involves pulverizing the alkaloids and mixing them with cement, lime, concrete accelerators and other waste such as expired medicine or destroyed contraband items. The resulting mixture is deposited in security cells 15 meters deep, 60 meters long and 40 meters wide, which when filled are sealed and become the foundation of warehouses within the same waste management company 3 .
The research conducted at the Chimborazo Forensic Chemistry Laboratory during the July-December 2016 period represented a systematic effort to characterize the actual composition of circulating cocaine in Ecuador 1 . The research team, led by Wilson Moncayo Molina, worked with 90 seized samples that underwent rigorous analysis.
The choice of the GC-MS technique was based on its reliability, precision and versatility, as it allowed determining not only the concentration degree of cocaine but also verifying its chemical structure and the adulterants present 1 .
The analysis revealed that half of the samples contained natural impurities from the extraction and purification process, including cinnamoylcocaine, methylecgonine, tropacocaine and benzoylecgonine. Only 11.1% of samples showed no significant alkaloidal contamination 1 .
These impurities are natural byproducts of coca leaf processing that are not completely eliminated during refining, and may contribute to the toxic effects of the consumed substance.
Perhaps the most concerning findings were related to adulterants intentionally added to increase volume or modify the substance's effects. The study found that starch was the most used adulterant, probably due to its low cost and visual similarity to pure cocaine 1 .
In addition to starch, other dangerous substances were identified such as phenacetin, levamisole and aminopyrine 1 . These compounds add additional risks to consumers' health, as each has its own toxic effects.
| Adulterant | Frequency | Main Health Risks |
|---|---|---|
| Starch | Majority | Allergic reactions, pulmonary complications (when smoked) |
| Phenacetin | Frequent | Nephrotoxicity, methemoglobinemia |
| Levamisole | Frequent | Agranulocytosis, cutaneous vasculitis |
| Aminopyrine | Observed | Agranulocytosis, hepatotoxicity |
| Parameter | Average Percentage | Observed Range |
|---|---|---|
| Pure cocaine | 48.9% | 11.1% - 89.5% |
| Natural impurities | 27.3% | 5.5% - 42.8% |
| Added adulterants | 23.8% | 10.5% - 68.9% |
The complexity of illicit substance analysis requires sophisticated instrumentation and standardized protocols. In the Ecuadorian study, the following methodological resources were used:
| Equipment/Reagent | Specific Function | Importance in Analysis |
|---|---|---|
| Gas chromatograph coupled to mass spectrometer | Separation, identification and quantification of components | Allows simultaneous identification of multiple compounds in a single sample |
| Cocaine and internal tetracosane standard | Reference standard | Enables accurate calibration and quantification |
| High purity solvents (methanol, hexane, chloroform) | Sample extraction and preparation | Guarantee efficiency in component extraction |
| Specific reagents (cobalt thiocyanate, potassium iodide) | Presumptive tests | Allow rapid initial screening of samples |
The findings of the Chimborazo study have profound implications for public health policies and drug control in Ecuador and the region. The systematic presence of dangerous adulterants suggests that health damages associated with cocaine consumption are not solely due to the substance itself, but to the entire chemical cocktail that accompanies it.
From a harm reduction perspective, these results highlight the importance of implementing substance analysis programs that allow consumers to know the actual composition of what they are going to ingest, making more informed decisions and potentially reducing risks.
For emergency services, knowledge of the most common adulterants in each region allows improving care protocols for intoxications and overdoses, which must consider the possibility of adverse reactions to multiple substances simultaneously.
The research also evidences the growing sophistication of the illicit drug market, where innovation in adulteration techniques seems to advance parallel to control strategies. Colombia, the main source of cocaine transiting through Ecuador, has "quadrupled its production and increased yield capacity per hectare," according to Daniel Pontón, security expert at FLACSO 3 .
The study of characterization of inorganic cocaine samples in Ecuador represents just a first scientific look at a complex and multifaceted problem. Forensic science thus emerges not just as a tool of law enforcement, but as a vital source of public health intelligence in the face of an evolving drug market that continues to challenge researchers, policymakers, and healthcare providers alike.