Detection of scopolamine in urine and hair in a drug-facilitated sexual assault case

Background and aim: The use of the drug scopolamine in drug-facilitated crimes is known. Nevertheless, given the high potency of the drug and its rapid metabolism, analysis in blood and urine may not be sufficient for drug detection in late crime declaration, especially following a single-dose administration in drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) cases. Hair may constitute an essential supplemental matrix extending the drug detection window in such cases. This case report presents quantitative data on scopolamine findings in urine and hair in a DFSA case. Methods: The case involved a young female who consumed several alcoholic drinks at a party venue when her behaviour became noticeably peculiar. Later, she woke up next to an unknown man and had no recollection of the night’s events. Blood and urine samples were collected 18 hours after the incident, while hair was collected five weeks after. The initial toxicological screening of blood and hydrolysed urine was performed using protein precipitation followed by UHPLC–TOF-MS and multitarget screening by UHPLC–MS/MS. Scopolamine was verified in hydrolyzed urine by another reverse phase UHPLC–MS/MS method. Segmental hair analysis was performed by published UHPLC–TOF-MS and multitarget UHPLC–MS/MS methods. Results: The initial screening detected scopolamine in the hydrolysed urine sample, and quantification yielded 41 µg/L scopolamine in urine, while the blood was negative. Segmental hair analysis was performed on three washed 2-cm segments yielding 0.37 pg/mg scopolamine, only in the time-relevant hair segment. Conclusions: This case report provided novel insight into the concentration in hair following a single exposure of scopolamine. Hair analysis was a powerful tool for determining exposure drug-facilitated crimes reported late when blood and urine are not relevant. These data are helpful evidence in trials and give closure to the victims.