Clandestine chemistry generally refers to chemistry carried out in illegal drug laboratories, but can include any kind of laboratory operation carried on in secret. It is important to distinguish between large and small scale clandestine labs. Larger labs are usually run by gangs or organized crime with the intention of production for distribution on the black market. Small labs are usually run by individual chemists working clandestinely in order to synthesize small amounts of controlled substances for their own use in order to guarantee purity and quality^{[citation needed]}. This is often because it is difficult to ascertain the purity or authenticity of illegally synthesized drugs that can be obtained on the black market. Note that the term "clandestine lab" is generally used in any situation involving the production of illict chemicals, even when the facilities being used can hardly qualify as a laboratory. This article or section includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... These lollipops were found to contain heroin when inspected by the US DEA The illegal drug trade is a worldwide black market consisting of production, distribution, packaging and sale of illegal psychoactive substances. ... This article is in need of attention. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Organized crime or criminal organizations are groups or operations run by criminals, most commonly for the purpose of generating a monetary profit. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into underground economy. ... For other uses of lab, see Lab. ...

History

Ancient forms of clandestine chemistry included the manufacturing of poisons. The skull and crossbones symbol (Jolly Roger) traditionally used to label a poisonous substance. ...

Another old form of clandestine chemistry is the illegal brewing and distillation of alcohol. This was frequently done to avoid taxation on spirits. A 16th century brewer A 21st century brewer This article concerns the production of alcoholic beverages. ... Laboratory distillation set-up using, without a fractionating column 1: Heat source 2: Still pot 3: Still head 4: Thermometer/Boiling point temperature 5: Condenser 6: Cooling water in 7: Cooling water out 8: Distillate/receiving flask 9: Vacuum/gas inlet 10: Still receiver 11: Heat control 12: Stirrer speed... Functional group of an alcohol molecule. ...

In the United States in the 1920s, alcohol was on prohibition. This opened a door for brewers to supply their own town with alcohol. Just like modern day drug labs, distilleries were placed in rural areas. The term moonshine generally referred to "corn whiskey", that is, a whiskey-like liquor made from corn. The 1920s is a decade sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ... The term Prohibition, also known as Dry Law, refers to a law in a certain country by which the manufacture, transportation, import, export, and sale of alcoholic beverages is restricted or illegal. ... Sign in a rural area in Dalarna, Sweden Qichun, a rural town in Hubei province, China An artists rendering of an aerial view of the Maryland countryside: Jane Frank (Jane Schenthal Frank, 1918-1986), Aerial Series: Ploughed Fields, Maryland, 1974, acrylic and mixed materials on apertured double canvas, 52... Shine Road The name tells the history of this back road in Hemingway, South Carolina Revenue men at the site of moonshine stills, Kentucky, 1911 or before Moonshine (sometimes known as Poitín, mooney, moon, creek water, hooch, Portuguese grape juice, white lightning, and many others) is a common slang... Whisky (or whiskey) is an alcoholic beverage distilled from grain, often including malt, which has then been aged in wooden barrels. ... “Corn” redirects here. ...

Precursor chemicals

Prepared substances (as opposed to those that occur naturally in a consumable form, such as cannabis and hallucinogenic mushrooms) require reagents. Semi-synthetic drugs like cocaine and heroin are made starting from plant sources and are usually easy to make, with only a few steps required to reach the final product. Other drugs (such as methamphetamine and MDMA) are normally made from commercially available chemicals. (MDMA can also be made from safrole, found in small amounts in a wide variety of plants.) Governments have adopted a strategy of chemical control as part of their overall drug control and enforcement plans. Chemical control offers a means of attacking illicit drug production and disrupting the process before the drugs have entered the market. Look up Cannabis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Magic mushrooms are also known as sacred mushrooms, psychedelic mushrooms, and, more generally, hallucinogenic mushrooms. ... Cocaine (see also: crack) is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. ... Heroin ((INN) Diacetylmorphine, (BAN) diamorphine) is a semi-synthetic opioid. ... This article is about the psychostimulant, d-methamphetamine. ... ecstasy and religious ecstasy MDMA, most commonly known today by the street name ecstasy, is a synthetic entactogen of the phenethylamine family whose primary effect is to stimulate the brain to rapidly secrete large amounts of serotonin, causing a general sense of openness, empathy, energy, euphoria, and well-being. ... Safrole Safrole (chemical formula: C10H10O2, IUPAC name: 5-(2-propenyl)-1,3-benzodioxole), also called shikimol, is a colorless or slightly yellow oily liquid. ...

Because many legitimate industrial chemicals are also necessary in the processing and synthesis of most illicitly produced drugs, preventing the diversion of these chemicals from legitimate commerce to illicit drug manufacturing is a difficult job. Governments often place restrictions on the purchase of large quantities of chemicals that can be used in the production of illict drugs, usually requiring licences or permits to insure that the purchaser has a legitimate need for them. Furthermore, since so many chemicals listed as illicit drug precursors are manufactured all over the world, international cooperation combined with a comprehensive chemical control strategy is essential for chemical control policies to succeed.

Leading suppliers of precursor chemicals

Chemicals critical to the production of cocaine, heroin, and synthetic drugs are produced in many countries throughout the world. Many manufacturers and suppliers exist in Europe, China, India, the United States, and a host of other countries.

Historically, chemicals critical to the synthesis or manufacture of illicit drugs are introduced into various venues via legitimate purchases by companies that are registered and licensed to do business as chemical importers or handlers. Once in a country or state, the chemicals are diverted by rogue importers or chemical companies, by criminal organizations and individual violators, or, more typically seen in an overseas environment, acquired as a result of coercion on the part of drug traffickers. In response to stricter international controls, drug traffickers have increasingly been forced to divert chemicals by mislabeling the containers, forging documents, establishing front companies, using circuitous routing, hijacking shipments, bribing officials, or smuggling products across international borders.

Enforcement of controls on precursor chemicals

Operation Purple is a U.S. DEA driven international chemical control initiative designed to reduce the illicit manufacture of cocaine in the Andean Region by monitoring and tracking shipments of potassium permanganate (PP), the chemical oxidizer of choice for cocaine production. The cornerstone of the operation is an intensive PP tracking program aimed at identifying and intercepting diverted potassium permanganate; identifying rogue firms and suspect individuals; gathering intelligence on diversion methods, trafficking trends, and shipping routes; and taking administrative, civil, and/or criminal action as appropriate. Critical to the success of this operation is the communication network that gives notification of shipments and provides the government of the importer sufficient time to verify the legitimacy of the transaction and take appropriate action. The effects of this initiative have been dramatic and far-reaching. Operation Purple has exposed a significant vulnerability among traffickers, and has grown to include almost thirty nations. According to the DEA, Operation Purple has been highly effective at interfering with cocaine production. The DEAs enforcement activities may take agents anywhere from distant countries to suburban U.S. homes. ... Cocaine (see also: crack) is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. ... Potassium permanganate is the chemical compound KMnO4. ...

Acetic anhydride (AA), the most commonly used chemical agent in heroin processing, is virtually irreplaceable. According to the DEA, Mexico remains the only heroin source country that has indigenous acetic anhydride production capability, producing 87,000 metric tons in 1999 alone. All other heroin producing countries must import large amounts of acetic anhydride. The diversion of this chemical to Colombian heroin laboratories is a continuing problem. The DEA reports that in 1999 three major hijackings of tanker trucks containing acetic anhydride occurred in Colombia. A total of 95.9 metric tons of AA was stolen, an amount sufficient to supply the Colombian heroin trade for the next five years. However, the largest markets for diverted acetic anhydride continue to be heroin laboratories in Afghanistan and Burma. Of particular note was a March 2000 seizure of 72.8 metric tons of AA in Turkmenistan, en route to heroin laboratories in Afghanistan. Authorities in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan routinely seize ton quantity shipments of diverted acetic anhydride. Acetic anhydride, also known as ethanoic anhydride, is one of the simplest of acid anhydrides. ... Heroin ((INN) Diacetylmorphine, (BAN) diamorphine) is a semi-synthetic opioid. ...

DEA's Operation Topaz is a coordinated international strategy targeting acetic anhydride. In place since March 2001, a total of thirty-one countries are currently organized participants in the program in addition to regional participants. The DEA reports that as of June 2001, some 125 consignments of acetic anhydride had been tracked totaling 61,890,222.85 kilograms. As of July 2001, there has been approximately 20 shipments of AA totaling 185,000 kilograms either stopped or seized.

The methamphetamine situation changed in the mid-1990s with the entrance of Mexican organized crime into production and distribution. According to the DEA, the seizure of 3.5 metric tons of pseudoephedrine (the primary precursor chemical used in the production of methamphetamine) in Texas revealed that Mexican trafficking groups were producing methamphetamine on an unprecedented scale. Pseudoephedrine (commonly abbreviated as PSE) is a sympathomimetic amine commonly used as a decongestant. ...

In countries where strict chemical controls have been put in place, illicit drug production has been seriously affected. For example, few of the chemicals needed to process coca leaf into cocaine are manufactured in Bolivia or Peru. Most are smuggled in from neighboring countries with advanced chemical industries or diverted from a smaller number of licit handlers. Increased interdiction of chemicals in Peru and Bolivia has contributed to final product cocaine from those countries being of lower, minimally oxidized quality.

As a result, Bolivian lab operators are now using inferior substitutes such as cement instead of lime and sodium bicarbonate instead of ammonia, recycled solvents like ether, and are attempting to streamline a production process that virtually eliminates oxidation to produce cocaine base. Some laboratories are not using sulfuric acid during the maceration state; consequently, less cocaine alkaloid is extracted from the leaf, producing less cocaine hydrochloride, the powdered cocaine marketed in the United States. Similarly, heroin-producing countries depend on supplies of acetic anhydride from the international market. This heroin precursor continues to account for the largest volume of internationally seized chemicals, according to the International Narcotics Control Board. Since July 1999, there have been several notable seizures of acetic anhydride in Turkey (amounting to nearly seventeen metric tons) and Turkmenistan (totaling seventy-three metric tons).

The Multilateral Chemical Reporting Initiative encourages governments to exchange information on a voluntary basis in order to monitor international chemical shipments. Over the past decade, key international bodies like the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and the U.N. General Assembly's Special Session (UNGASS) have addressed the issue of chemical diversion in conjunction with U.S. efforts. These organizations raised specific concerns about potassium permanganate and acetic anhydride.

To facilitate the international flow of information about precursor chemicals, the United States, through its relationship with the Inter-American Drug Control Abuse Commission (CICAD), continues to evaluate the use of precursor chemicals and assist countries in strengthening controls. Many nations still lack the capacity to determine whether the import or export of precursor chemicals is related to legitimate needs or illicit drugs. The problem is complicated by the fact that many chemical shipments are either brokered or transshipped through third countries in an attempt to disguise their purpose or destination.

The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) has opted to organize an international conference with the goal of devising a specific action plan to counter the traffic in MDMA precursor chemicals. In July 2001, the INCB requested the assistance of DEA in planning an international conference on preventing the diversion of chemicals used in the production of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS), including MDMA (ecstasy) and methamphetamine. Mr. ... ecstasy and religious ecstasy MDMA, most commonly known today by the street name ecstasy, is a synthetic entactogen of the phenethylamine family whose primary effect is to stimulate the brain to rapidly secrete large amounts of serotonin, causing a general sense of openness, empathy, energy, euphoria, and well-being. ... This article is about the psychostimulant, d-methamphetamine. ...

Despite this long history of law enforcement actions, restrictions of chemicals, and even covert military actions, it must be noted that many illicit drugs are still widely available all over the world.

Amphetamines

Clandestine chemistry made its mark in the late 1960s when amphetamines became controlled substances in many countries. Biker gangs including the Hells Angels took control over the manufacture of amphetamines using standard laboratory equipment. The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... Amphetamine or Amfetamine, also known as alpha-methyl-phenethylamine, phenyl-isopropylamine, beta-phenyl-isopropylamine, and benzedrine, is a prescription stimulant commonly used to treat Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults and children. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Although the term refers to any motorcycle enthusiast, sometimes the word biker is sometimes used to mean an outlaw biker, or bikie, who is a member of a 1%er or outlaw motorcycle gang. ... A gang is a group of individuals who share a common identity and, in current usage, engage in illegal activities. ... Hells Angels New York City The Hells Angels is a motorcycle club formed in 1948 in Fontana, California, where the local chapter remains active. ...

Methamphetamine was a favorite among biker gangs. But after phenylacetone became a Schedule II controlled immediate precursor in 1980, it was harder for underground chemists to manufacture methamphetamine. This article is about the psychostimulant, d-methamphetamine. ... A Motorcycle gang (also known as a Biker gang) is a gang whose members are motorcycle riders. ... Phenylacetone (known as 1-phenylpropan-2-one in IUPAC nomenclature, often abbreviated as P2P other synonyms include benzyl methyl ketone; methyl benzyl ketone; phenyl-2-propanone; phenyl acetone) is an organic compound. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A chemist pours from a round-bottom flask. ...

Frustrated, underground chemists searched for alternative methods for producing methamphetamine. The two predominant methods which appeared both involve the reduction of ephedrine or pseudoephedrine to methamphetamine. At the time, neither was a watched chemical, and pills containing the substance could be bought by the thousands without raising any kind of suspicion. Ephedrine (EPH) is a sympathomimetic amine similar in structure to the synthetic derivatives amphetamine and methamphetamine. ... Pseudoephedrine (commonly abbreviated as PSE) is a sympathomimetic amine commonly used as a decongestant. ...

In the 1990s, ephedrine / pseudoephedrine became a closely watched precursor by the DEA, making it somewhat more difficult for underground chemists to produce methamphetamine. Many individual States have enacted precursor control laws which limit the sale of over-the-counter cold medications which contain ephedrine or pseudoephedrine. The 1990s decade refers to the years from the start of 1990 to the end of 1999. ...

DEA El Paso Intelligence Center EPICdata is showing a distinct downward trend in the seizure of clandestine drug labs for the illicit manufacture of methampetamine from a high of 17,356 in 2003. Lab seizure data for the United States is available from EPIC beginning in 1999 when 7,438 labs were reported to have been seized during that calendar year. The DEAs enforcement activities may take agents anywhere from distant countries to suburban U.S. homes. ...

Modern

Clandestine chemistry does not limit itself only to drugs, it is also associated with explosives, and other illegal chemicals. Of the explosives manufactured illegally nitroglycerin and acetone peroxide are easiest to produce due to the ease with which the precursers can be acquired. This article does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is concerned solely with chemical explosives. ... Nitroglycerin (NG), also known as nitroglycerine, trinitroglycerin, and glyceryl trinitrate, is a chemical compound. ... Acetone peroxide Ball-and-stick model of the acetone peroxide trimer (TATP) Acetone peroxide (triacetone triperoxide, peroxyacetone, TATP, TCAP) is an organic peroxide and a primary high explosive. ...

Uncle Fester is a writer who commonly writes about different aspects of clandestine chemistry. Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture is among one of his most popular books, and is considered required reading for DEA Agents. More of his books deal with other aspects of clandestine chemistry, including explosives, and poisons. Fester is, however, considered by many to be a faulty and unreliable source for information in regard to the clandestine manufacture of chemicals. Uncle Fester is the author of such controversial books as Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture, and Silent Death. ...

Alexander Shulgin and his wife Ann Shulgin wrote two extremely important volumes to the world of illicit chemistry entitled TiHKAL and PiHKAL. Their research has been of paramount importance to the clandestine world. It should be stressed that their work with a degree in chemistry along with the proper government permissions is the only sure way to study illicit chemicals safely. Alexander and Ann Shulgin, in a photo from their book TiHKAL, c. ... Ann Shulgin (March 22, 1931) is an author and wife of famous chemist Alexander Shulgin. ... TiHKAL is a 1997 book written by Dr Alexander Shulgin and Ann Shulgin about tryptamines. ... PiHKAL is a 1991 book by Dr. Alexander Shulgin and Ann Shulgin about psychedelic phenethylamines. ...

With the rise of the Internet, access to information on topics such as the extraction of dextromethorphan (DXM) from over the counter cough medicine or the manufacture of simple explosives has become far easier than in the past. This has been cause for concern among some, due to minors attempting these relatively simple but nevertheless dangerous procedures. Dextromethorphan (DM or DXM) is an antitussive drug that is found in many over-the-counter cold and cough preparations, usually in the form of dextromethorphan hydrobromide. ... Over-the-counter substances, also abbreviated OTC, are drugs and other medical remedies that may be sold without a prescription and without a visit to a medical professional, in contrast to prescription only medicines (POM). ... A cough medicine is a drug used to treat coughing and related conditions. ... This article is concerned solely with chemical explosives. ...