Levamisole
Definition
A veterinary antihelminthic found as an adulterant in approximately 80 per cent of cocaine seizures in North America and Western Europe since 2014. Its metabolite aminorex is a stimulant; agrochemical and manufacturing hypotheses explain its prevalence.
- Original use
- Veterinary antihelminthic
- Found as
- Adulterant in cocaine seizures
- Prevalence
- Roughly 80 percent of seizures, North America and Western Europe, since 2014
- Active metabolite
- Aminorex, a stimulant
Common questions
Why is levamisole added to cocaine rather than an inert cutting agent?+
Unlike a purely inert diluent, levamisole metabolises into aminorex, which has its own stimulant activity, so it can mimic part of cocaine's effect while extending the volume of product sold, which is one reason it has persisted despite documented toxicity.
What forensic or clinical significance does detecting levamisole have?+
Its presence is a useful marker in toxicology and drug-chemistry casework for identifying cocaine-linked exposure, and it is independently associated with agranulocytosis and other toxic effects, so its detection can matter for both prosecution and clinical explanation of a decedent's condition.
Related terms
- Chirasil-DEX CB
- A cyclodextrin-based chiral gas chromatography column (Agilent) used for baseline resolution of d- and l-methamphetamine and d- and l-amphetamine enantiomers in forensic...
- Compound-Specific IRMS (CSIA)
- A technique combining preparative GC separation with isotope ratio mass spectrometry to measure 13C/12C and D/H ratios in individual compounds (e.g. the...
- Enantiomeric Excess (Ee)
- A measure of chiral purity: ee (%) = (R - S)/(R + S) x 100, where R and S are the measured...
- Erythroxylum Coca
- The principal alkaloid-bearing species of the coca genus, native to the Andean highlands. The dominant species in illicit cocaine production is E....
- Pasta Base (Coca Paste)
- The intermediate product in cocaine extraction: cocaine sulphate precipitated from the acid-wash aqueous layer after solvent extraction, at 40-90 per cent purity....
- Phenylacetone (P2P, BMK)
- 1-phenyl-2-propanone; the key precursor in the Leuckart and reductive amination routes to amphetamine and methamphetamine. Controlled under UN 1988 Convention Table I,...
- PMK-Glycidate
- Piperonylmethylketone (PMK) glycidate ester; a PMK substitute used as the principal MDMA precursor in European clandestine labs after PMK was scheduled. Added...
- Safrole
- 4-allyl-1,2-methylenedioxybenzene; extracted from sassafras oil (Cinnamomum camphora, Cambodia, Vietnam, Brazil) and the original MDMA precursor. Controlled under UN 1988 Convention Table I;...
- Scott Test
- A three-step cobalt thiocyanate presumptive test for cocaine and its salts. Step 1: cobalt thiocyanate reagent (blue in aqueous phase). Step 2:...