I'm curious as well, what do they mean by "a different way" of making pills than usual??
Most synthetics of a relatively simple structure (like MDMA) can be produced via any one of many routes. Perhaps it was one of the more common starting materials, but the route was different i.e. a different synthetic approach was used to adjust the alkyl chain or add the amine. Maybe a more exotic approach started with a less common material (building from scratch or using a completely inconspicuous material which required simple modifications). Or perhaps it was a relatively easy to obtain substance such as a different essential oil component which was then synthetically modified.......
Bottom line is; it's second year organic chemistry stuff. Nothing that hard about the theory. A worker at a major chemical supplier once said to me "...they're making drugs out of water these days" At the time I scoffed at that as being a gross exaggeration, but years later, after studying chemistry, I realised that statement wasn't all that far off the mark.
As for the shitty looking setup. My gut feeling is that they didn't show very much of the "Lab". If what was shown on the news was the setup, then anyone in their right mind wouldn't want to touch anything that came from there...yuk
...perhaps that was the intent of the police? Who knows. As BT said it's ALL speculation until either more is published-aired, or we have a willing and able Forensics person here on Bluelight....and then I think giving out that sort of info would probably see their career evaporate before their eyes 8)
I've been saying for years MDMA is or will be made in Aus. My logic says that because it's in theory quite a simple process, sooner or later it must prove more economical to produce locally than to attempt to import specific chems, particularly when many of the optimum chems ( MDP2P etc) are rarely used for any other purposes. Even if sourcing locally means more work in extracting, processing or manufacturing reagents/reactants from other OTC chems, unless the price drops to what E goes for in Britain, someone or group with less than commendable principles is bound to see it as a viable money making venture.
Another thing also got me wondering. What was done with the waste solvents? There must have been hundreds of liters. Where did that go? If it was simply emptied into the environment or poured down the drain, I hope these people are charged big time with this - arguably a more serious criminal act.
