Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 28, 2026

Methods for Intravenous Self Administration in a Mouse Model
Published on: December 8, 2012
Dancing on coke: smuggling cocaine dispersed in polyvinyl alcohol
Alexander L N van Nuijs1, Kristof E Maudens, Willy E Lambert
1Toxicological Centre, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium. alexander.vannuijs@ua.ac.be
Abstract:
Recent trends suggest that cocaine smugglers have become more and more inventive to avoid seizures of large amounts of cocaine transported between countries. We report a case of a mail parcel containing a dance pad which was seized at the Customs Department of Brussels Airport, Belgium. After investigation, the inside of the dance pad was found to contain a thick polymer, which tested positive for cocaine. Analysis was performed using a routine colorimetric swipe test, gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The polymer was identified as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and contained 18% cocaine, corresponding to a street value of € 20,000. Laboratory experiments showed that cocaine could be easily extracted from the PVA matrix. This case report reveals a new smuggling technique for the transportation of large amounts of cocaine from one country to another.
Related Concept Videos
Carboxylic Acids to Methylesters: Alkylation using Diazomethane
Protection of Alcohols
Protection
It defines a protecting group as the masking agent to make the more reactive species inert to a given set of conditions. This concept is depicted via the illustration of liquid flow through different outlets in an assembly of pipes. The analogy helps to understand the role...
Production of Alcohol
Solvents
A...
CNS Stimulants: Cocaine, Amphetamines and Cannabinoids
Drug Delivery: Miscellaneous Routes
Oral inhalation and nasal sprays swiftly transfer drugs across the respiratory epithelium's mucosal layer. Inhaled glucocorticoids and bronchodilators directly target lung conditions such as asthma, while fluticasone nasal spray mitigates allergic rhinitis.
Transdermal patches transport drugs through the...

