Colombian police seized over two kilos of illegal synthetic drugs worth more than $240,000 on Sunday, prompting National Police Director José Riaño to say that synthetic drugs were replacing cocaine in that country.
Police confiscated over 3,000 pills of 2-CB, also known as “pink cocaine” in Colombia; each pill was worth $72. The drug is sold in powdered form and ingested or inhaled, producing effects similar to amphetamines and LSD, InsightCrime reported. The high the drug produces has boosted its popularity, and it has “slowly replaced cocaine,” Riaño told Colombia’s RCN radio. There is limited knowledge about the long-term effects of 2-CB on the human body due to a lack of studies. There is a potential risk of organ damage due to prolonged use, especially given the varied ingredients that go into the synthetic mix, a toxicologist told RCN.
The seizure in Colombia comes amid rising international concern over the role of synthetic substances in the drug market. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime published its 2013 report on new synthetic psychoactive substances in March, and noted that synthetic drugs have become more widespread globally. The report stressed that synthetic drugs are quickly becoming a “struggle to contain.”
While synthetic substances are increasingly available on the international drug market, it is unlikely that they are going to overshadow the cocaine market any time soon, according to InsightCrime, especially when synthetic substances can cost $70 a hit in Colombia versus cocaine’s $5 per gram.