Screening and Quantification of the Synthetic Cannabinoid Receptor Agonist 5F-MDMB-PINACA from Seized Prison Paper Using Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Approaches

Infusing synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists on paper quickly became a main route for illicit entry into prisons (i.e., mail correspondence) in the last decade. So far, there are limited data on validated detection methods and typical concentration profiles of these substances on paper to inform interventions. An approach to quantify and map the synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist (SCRA) 5F‐MDMB‐PINACA on a seized paper sample from a UK Prison was determined using ultraperformance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. The seized paper sample was initially screened using ultraperformance liquid chromatography–quadrupole time‐of‐flight–mass spectrometry that confirmed the presence of 5F‐MDMB‐PINACA. A quantification method was then optimised and validated for the SCRA using a simple liquid chromatography–quadrupole Dalton–mass spectrometry system. Percentage recovery studies were carried out on paper spiked with 1, 5 and 20 mg/cm2 of 5F‐MDMB‐PINACA with five consecutive MeOH extractions. Results showed that one extraction recovered 83%–86%, while three extractions resulted in 98%–99% 5F‐MDMB‐PINACA recovery. Finally, the method was used to determine the concentration profile across the seized paper sample; 5F‐MDMB‐PINACA was in detectable amounts on all the paper subunits (n = 39) ranging between 0.26 and 55.13 μg/cm2, displaying a wide distribution of concentrations. Concentration profiles of SCRAs on seized paper samples are informative for interventions for those who are abusing or handling these substances in custodial settings but also provide key concentration ranges for those developing advanced methods of analysis in this area.