Rapid comparison of diacetylmorphine on banknotes by tandem mass spectrometry

A procedure is described for the determination of the distribution of the contamination of banknotes with controlled drugs using tandem mass spectrometry. The method is illustrated using diacetylmorphine, which is the major active component of heroin. A series of banknotes is introduced into the mass spectrometer and the intensities of two product ions (m/z 328 and 268) derived from the precursor protonated molecule (m/z 370) are recorded. A banknote is considered contaminated if it shows a significant peak for both product ions, and if the ratio of intensities of these two peaks falls within accepted limits. The distribution of diacetylmorphine on sterling banknotes taken from general circulation within the UK can be modelled by an arcsin (square root) transformation of the data or by a log transformation of the data with a higher proportion of contamination. The two models were found to be in close agreement, predicting an upper limit (at 99.9% confidence) of contamination on banknotes from general circulation between 9 and 10%. The percentage contamination in a case study was calculated and compared to the background distribution using the two models proposed. This comparison revealed that the contamination present in the case study was inconsistent with that present on banknotes in general circulation.