Gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry for the screening of adulterants in seized captagon™ tablets

Background: Amphetamine type stimulants (ATS) are the second most popular illegal drugs used worldwide, after cannabis. The production of ATS has increased across the world, including the Middle East. Fenethylline (Captagon™), amphetamine derivative, sold as a street drug usually contains several adulterants and diluents. In Saudi Arabia, like other countries, samples of illicit ATS are submitted to laboratories to test for the adulterated compounds. Objective: The objective of the proposed study was to apply gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for fenethylline profiling of seized samples collected from the Saudi market (n = 55). Methodology: The GC/MS analysis was performed on a general purpose column (30 m × 0.25 mm i.d) coated with 0.25 µm cross bond, 5% diphenyl dimethyl polysiloxane (Rtx-5MS). The mass was operated in the electron impact mode. Results and discussion: Analyzed samples gave positive results for amphetamine in the concentration range between 1.35% and 37.32% of the powder, caffeine in the range between 22.74 and 44.92%, in addition to different concentrations of levoglucosenone, theophylline, D-allose, lidocaine, methamphetamine, dextromethorphan, and other adulterants. Finally, the presence of other substances in fenethylline street samples could result in intoxication. This significantly contributes to the potential risk of drug addiction among public.