Policie České republiky – Kriminalistický ústav
11
Popisky – chemie, zkoumání léků, anabolik, lihovin
Labels – chemistry, examination of pharmaceuticals,anabolics and spirits
1. In the course of the methanol scandal which claimed nearly 50 lives, the Institute of Criminalistics examined samples of seized commercially sold spirits containing methanol.
2. Spirits in which methanol was detected
3. Methanol scandal in the Czech Republic
It broke out at the beginning of September 2012 claiming its first victim – a man from the Moravian-Silesian Region autopsy of whom proved his death is to be blamed on adulterated alcohol. Further deaths followed, especially in the north of Moravia, but also in the area of the town of Zlín. By 12 September methanol had killed 18 people. On that day, the government established an emergency team and the health minister announced a ban to pour and sell spirits in stall-like shops. Two days later, total prohibition arrived which applied to spirits containing 20% of alcohol or more. Then, a week later, there was a new ban following the request of the European Commission on export of alcoholic beverages and the police investigation started.
The police found the source of methanol on 24 September in a company in the town of Opava where they seized 10.000 litres of alcohol which was diluted with methanol by 50%. It was diluted by Rudolf Fian and Tomáš Křepela. Both of them were, as the producers of the lethal compound, accused of endangering the safety of the public and later they were imprisoned for life. Later, also Jiří Vacula from the area of the town of Zlín who distributed the lethal compound was arrested and sentenced to 15 years. The prohibition was revoked on 28 September.
By the middle of November over 60 people were arrested, most of them have already been convicted. The last death came on 28 February 2014 when a man in the town of Nové Město na Moravě died of alcohol poisoning. The total death toll was 50.
(Source:https://zlin.idnes.cz/metanolova-kauza-zalobce-roman-kafka-zlin-fga-/zlin zpravy.aspx?c=A171019_358883_zlin-zpravy_ras)
4. The forensic chemical laboratory in the Institute of Criminalistics has been receiving more and more counterfeits of human medicines in recent years. These medicines usually do not contain the active substance declared by the producer but they contain a different active substance or no active substance at all. In some of the counterfeits, substances harmful to humans were found. That is why purchasing human medicines on-line, where customers are lured by the often-very-low price compared to a standard seller, can become very dangerous.
5. Adipex – counterfeit
6. Counterfeit human medicines containing specific phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitors such as tadalafil, sildenafil and vardenafil - VIAGRA®, LEVITRA®, VIVANZA®, CIALIS®, most often contain a different active substance. The pills are of a different shape and embossing. There have also appeared preparations declared as purely natural dietary supplements, but they contained large amounts of sildenafil, which is the active substance of Viagra.
7. The CHEMIS database (Chemical Medicines and Drugs Database), which is used to carry out fast identification of unknown samples, represents a valuable aid for the examination.
8. Counterfeit “love pills”
9. Viagra – counterfeit
10. Pill surface composition – counterfeit Viagra 2A, original Viagra, counterfeit Viagra 2B
11. Comparison of shape and marking of the original and counterfeit Viagra
12. Pill surface composition – Cialis 3 counterfeit, Cialis pill original, Cialis 5 counterfeit
13. Shape comparison and marking on the original and counterfeit Cialis
14. Cialis – counterfeit
15. Illegal anabolic steroids often contain an active substance different from that declared on the packaging. In some of the counterfeits, there were even harmful substances detected.