Tania Rashid from VICETM video and Dr. Adam Hopkins used MIRA DS to expose counterfeit drugs in Mexico and southern California in a recently released expose.
Image Credit: Metrohm Middle East FZC
« Medical tourism » to Mexico is hot business, with millions of US dollars spent at pharmacies across the border. Medications purchased in Mexico are cheap and available – even without prescriptions – but they are also unregulated unknowns.
Identifying unknown substances is our business at Metrohm Raman! In the video, alleged percocet was revealed, through literal roadside testing with MIRA DS, to contain fentanyl and/or methamphetamine! In a similar test, a « 10 mg » diazepam purchased on a California street was revealed to contain as much as 30% diazepam, a powerful sedative – no wonder the vendor said it was strong!
MIRA DS is a handheld Raman spectrometer designed specifically for these scenarios – instant, reliable identification of illicit and deadly substances by anyone, anywhere. Tablets, pills, and powders are almost always combinations of materials, which can be an analytical nightmare. MIRA DS is uniquely capable of identifying multiple compounds in such tablets. Watch the VICETM video, and learn more about identification of illicit substances with MIRA DS in our free application notes: