Non-invasive detection of cocaine in rum using displaced Raman spectroscopy

Currently, one of the major routes for smuggled cocaine into the UK involves dissolution of the drug in common alcoholic beverages such as rum. Relatively large quantities of the drug (of the order of 100’s of grams) can be concealed inside a single bottle and then separated upon arrival at its destination by simple evaporation of the liquid content. A single bottle can be carried by a smuggler across an entry port into the country; larger quantities can be concealed within a consignment of genuine drink bottles. The detection of such items is extremely difficult, particularly in the latter case, as currently there are no simple, effective and rapid means of inspecting such samples without opening each individual bottle. There is clearly a strong need in this area for a fast, portable noninvasive detector of concealed drugs. In this work, we demonstrate that a variant of Raman spectroscopy, Displaced Raman spectroscopy developed through access to the LSF’s Ultrafast Spectroscopy Laboratory, fulfils these requirements.