Main methamphetamine production methods used in Europe from Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine as precursors .

 There are many ways to make methamphetamine, and each has its own risks and advantages. In Europe, two main methods exist, classified according to the chemicals used as starting materials, known as precursors. One method is based on ephedrine or pseudoephedrine which can be imported in bulk powder or extracted from medicinal products or even from ephedra plants. This method is hazardous and difficult to scale up; in Europe, it is mostly used in small- to medium-scale ‘kitchen’ laboratories in and around Czechia, where precursors extracted from medicines are typically used. This method produces the potent d-isomer form of methamphetamine (d-methamphetamine (1). The other method uses BMK (also called benzyl methyl ketone, or phenyl-2-propanone, ‘P-2-P’), an oil that can be imported to the EU or made in Europe from chemicals known as designer precursors (also called pre-precursors). This method is more amenable to scaling up and is therefore suitable for use in industrial-scale laboratories, as has been observed in the Netherlands and Belgium. Its main disadvantage is that the resulting product is a 50:50 mixture of the d- and l-isomers, the l-methamphetamine being a less desirable product. This means an additional step is needed at the end of the synthesis to separate and purify the potent (hence preferred) illicit product: d-methamphetamine. Techniques to perform this separation have been used in illicit production laboratories in Mexico since at least 2009 (INCB, 2017) and more recently in the Netherlands and Belgium. Recent data also shows that European BMK-based laboratories have further increased the efficiency and output of production by recycling the unwanted l-methamphetamine to obtain more d-methamphetamine for each litre of BMK used (see Section to Buy pseudoephedrine HCl powder Australia and EU warehouse ).

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BMK methods, typically found in the Netherlands and Belgium

BMK has limited legitimate uses; in Europe it is mostly used to produce amphetamine, and increasingly, for the production of methamphetamine. BMK may be imported to the EU but it is more often produced locally from pre-precursors.

BMK methods typically involve the catalytic reduction (reductive amination) of an intermediate formed between BMK and methylamine. In Europe, there are two main techniques: (1) reductive amination uses the ‘aluminium amalgam method’; (2) the ‘high pressure method’ is the same technique used to produce MDMA in Europe, the only difference being the starting material (the precursor), where BMK yields methamphetamine and PMK (piperonal methyl ketone, also known as methylenedioxyphenyl-2-propanone, ‘MDP-2-P’) yields MDMA.

In 2020, seven EU Member States seized close to 5 600 litres of BMK, most of which (75 %) was reported by the Netherlands (4 200 litres). These are globally relevant amounts, with only Mexico reporting larger seizures in 2020 (11 000 litres seized), according to the INCB (2020).

Importantly, these values need to be considered in the context of the close to 35 tonnes of various pre-precursor chemicals seized in the EU in 2020, which could be used to produce significant additional amounts of BMK, often in dedicated ‘conversion’ laboratories. These pre-precursors include APAAN, glycidic derivatives of BMK, APAA and MAPA, all of which were successively introduced in the market as soon as legal controls were applied to their predecessors (see section Order ephedrine HCl, BP crystals powder Australia and EU warehouse ,(TO ORDER EPHEDRINE PSEUDOEPHEDRINE, BMK, PMK, 4ANPP, APVP, MDMA, KETAMINE,ALPRAZOLAM POWDER, 2CB FLY, PROTONITAZENE AND OTHER NITAZENES, FENTANIL REPLACEMENTS FOR RESEARCH.

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Signal:+919319668540, Zhohouabiotech@zohomail.com,zhohouabt@tuta.io). In 2020, five Member States reported combined pre-precursor seizures of over 1 tonne. These were Belgium (12 tonnes), Germany (almost 8 tonnes), Hungary (7 tonnes), the Netherlands (less than 7 tonnes) and France (1 tonne). Whenever the origin of the seizures was outside the EU (68 % of the quantity seized), the consignments originated in China (including Hong Kong) and were typically misdeclared as chemical industrial products or other commercial goods.

In Europe, the rapid replacement of pre-precursors has been particularly evident since 2011, when information exchange between international authorities was enhanced, leading to more effective precursor diversion control worldwide (EMCDDA, 2019a). To avoid disruptions to the steady supply of precursors for illicit laboratories, producers quickly changed from the scheduled precursor BMK to APAAN, which then became one of the most seized pre-precursors from 2012 to 2014. The scheduling of APAAN in 2014 led to the appearance of glycidic derivatives of BMK, quickly followed by APAA which took the lead in seizures from 2016 to 2018. APAA was scheduled in 2019, leading to the emergence and prevalence of MAPA in seizures during 2019 and 2020. MAPA was then scheduled in late 2020, and in that same year, EAPA (the ethyl analogue of MAPA) was seized for the first time in Europe. These data illustrate the ingenuity and adaptability of synthetic drug producers: the declining seizures of one pre-precursor are accompanied by the concomitant rise of another (see section To order ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, BMK, PMK powder/crystals from top supplier with warehouse in Europe and Australia).

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Recycling unwanted by-product: a game-changer in methamphetamine production

Previously, when the d-methamphetamine was separated using tartaric acid, the leftover material containing the l-isomer was regarded as an unwanted by-product to be discarded. Illustrating the continuous drive to improve efficiency and profits, illicit drug producers in Europe have introduced new methods to reconvert these discarded solutions back to a racemic 50:50 mixture of d- and l-methamphetamine, from which the d-methamphetamine can be separated using tartaric acid. These recycling procedures explain the record quantities of tartaric acid seized in Europe (see Figure Order ephedrine HCl, BP crystals powder/Buy pseudoephedrine HCl powder ). (TO ORDER EPHEDRINE PSEUDOEPHEDRINE, BMK, PMK, 4ANPP, APVP, MDMA, KETAMINE,ALPRAZOLAM POWDER, 2CB FLY, PROTONITAZENE AND OTHER NITAZENES, FENTANIL REPLACEMENTS FOR RESEARCH.

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This process can be repeated several times: each time a fraction with the unwanted l-methamphetamine is produced, it can be reconverted (‘racemised’) back to a mixture and the d-isomer separated until the waste cannot be further recycled. The process, called ‘RRR’ (resolution-racemisation-recycling) (see Figure Order ephedrine HCl, BP crystals powder/Buy pseudoephedrine HCl powder (Australia and EU warehouse), (TO ORDER EPHEDRINE PSEUDOEPHEDRINE, BMK, PMK, 4ANPP, APVP, MDMA, KETAMINE,ALPRAZOLAM POWDER, 2CB FLY, PROTONITAZENE AND OTHER NITAZENES, FENTANIL REPLACEMENTS FOR RESEARCH.

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Signal:+919319668540, Zhohouabiotech@zohomail.com,zhohouabt@tuta.io is a standard technique used in the pharmaceutical industry to increase production yields of medicines where only one isomer is pharmaceutically active (Astleford and Weigel, 1997). The RRR technique increases the yield of d-methamphetamine from BMK from 50 % to 75 % after one iteration, up to 87.5 % on the second iteration and 93.75 % by the third. The racemisation of the discarded solutions of l-methamphetamine is triggered using small amounts of a chemical such as AIBN (or another radical initiator) and a source of thiyl radicals (for example methyl thioglycolate, thioglycolic acid or dimyristyl peroxydicarbonate) (Escoubet et al., 2006; Yerande et al., 2014). AIBN has a low decomposition temperature, can easily ignite and its use presents a risk of explosion (National Center for Biotechnology Information, 2022).

Data reported to the EC indicates that in 2020, 327 kilograms of AIBN, 525 kilograms of methyl thioglycolate, 248 kilograms of dimyristyl peroxydicarbonate and 2.5 litres of thioglycolic acid were seized in Europe. Partial data available for 2021 indicate seizures of 19 kilograms of AIBN, 90 kilograms of methyl thioglycolate, 139 kilograms of dimyristyl peroxydicarbonate and 20 litres of thioglycolic acid. All seizures occurred in the Netherlands and some were seized during the dismantling of illicit laboratories. Information reported by Dutch police to the EMCDDA indicates that at least one shipment of 13 kilograms of AIBN in 2021 originated in Mexico. As well as indicating the level of sophistication involved, bearing in mind that these reagents are required in small amounts (relative to the quantity of methamphetamine being treated), the quantities seized provide further evidence of the scale of methamphetamine production using BMK methods in Europe. They also show that combining the expertise of Mexican and Dutch drug producers and applying techniques from the pharmaceutical industry has maximised production efficiency.

Ephedrine/pseudoephedrine methods, typically used in Czechia (Nagai method)

Until the advent of methamphetamine production based on BMK in the Netherlands and Belgium, European production of methamphetamine was mostly based on ephedrine or pseudoephedrine precursors; this is still the method typically found in small- to medium-sized laboratories in Czechia and neighbouring countries (most often using the ‘Nagai method’) and also involves the use of iodine and red phosphorous. When in powder form, these precursors are regulated at international and EU level, but they can also be obtained from over-the-counter medicinal products, which takes them out of the scope of precursor legislation (Council of the European Union, 2013), and presents challenges for enforcement. Restrictions have been put in place to tackle multiple purchases of the medicines at national level in Czechia and more recently Germany and Poland, but the lack of a harmonised approach at EU level often results in trafficking from countries with less stringent regulations to those where production occurs (or from outside the EU).

Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine can be chemically reduced using a variety of agents . Starting from ephedrine or pseudoephedrine has the advantage that the product obtained is d-methamphetamine, so there is no need to go through the RRR process. However, there are several factors that make this method difficult to scale up, including challenges in obtaining the bulk precursor or the strictly controlled medicines; extracting sufficient quantities of precursor from the medicines; safely controlling the chemical reactions to avoid explosions; and obtaining good enough yields after the purification and crystallisation processes. Hence, production via this method in Europe usually operates at capacities less than 50 grams (see Section Order ephedrine HCl, BP crystals powder/Buy pseudoephedrine HCl powder ). (TO ORDER EPHEDRINE PSEUDOEPHEDRINE, BMK, PMK, 4ANPP, APVP, MDMA, KETAMINE,ALPRAZOLAM POWDER, 2CB FLY, PROTONITAZENE AND OTHER NITAZENES, FENTANIL REPLACEMENTS FOR RESEARCH.

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In 2020, 38 seizures amounting to 8 kilograms of ephedrine and 107 seizures amounting to 234 kilograms of pseudoephedrine were reported by 12 Member States. Poland seized close to 70 % of the EU total, which included pseudoephedrine preparations, i.e. medicines (mostly shipped from the United Kingdom) and pseudoephedrine raw material, i.e. powder (reported as intra-EU trade). In 2019, two thefts of pseudoephedrine (raw material and hydrochloride) amounting to 536 kilograms were reported by Germany, indicating that attempts to obtain pseudoephedrine for methamphetamine production go beyond trafficking and diversion.

In 2020, seizures of other chemicals associated with the production of methamphetamine from ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, including red phosphorus, iodine, hydriodic acid, hypophosphorous acid and phosphorous acid, were typically modest and made at local level. Action to prevent the diversion of red phosphorus for methamphetamine production was taken in 2020, when it was added to the EU regulations governing drug precursors (Council of the European Union, 2020). In some incidents, seizures were made in small methamphetamine laboratories in Czechia, but also in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria and Slovakia.

The available data on the number of seizures and the quantities of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and associated chemicals seized in Europe did not change significantly from 2015 to 2020, beyond the expected natural fluctuations despite the large increases in seizures of methamphetamine in Europe. This supports the view that the current ‘creeping’ market expansion is not related to the ephedrine/pseudoephedrine method, but rather the BMK methods.