Mysterious 'black cocaine' mystery!

Hmm, as long as the topic is cocaine... I came across a news story yesterday that helped round out my understanding of how cocaine is trafficked. This is probably old news to many of you, but I didn't realize they were making "black cocaine" now in order to throw off Smokey and his K-9 units. But as recently as a couple days ago, law enforcement in a Louisiana town stumbled across some of the substance, which was initially mistaken for heroin.

Local news was mystified:

There is little doubt, [State Police Troop C spokesman Gilbert] Dardar said, that “black cocaine,” which has roots in south America, is not being developed locally.

Many details surrounding “black cocaine” are a mystery at this point, Dardar conceded, even to local police.

The drug’s side effects – both long and short term – are unknown. Investigators also do not know its estimated street value. [Note: this article vanished from the site, but Google's cache still has it: from Houmatoday.com, "Crime Lab finds drugs were black cocaine, not heroin"]

Of course, a quick web search later and I had unraveled at least part of the mystery:

Black cocaine, also known as Coca Negra, is a combination of regular cocaine hydrochloride and various chemicals, such as potassium thiocyanate, usually added at 40% admixture. This renders it undetectable to drug sniffing dogs and the regular chemical tests. Since the result is usually black, it is generally smuggled in as toner in fake IBM brand toner cartridges, fingerprint powder, fertilizer or pigment.

Well, there you have it! Wikipedia says this first popped up in 1998, showing that I am a full ten years behind the curve when it comes to appreciating all the glorious varieties of cocaine. I guess it's never too late - knowledge is power! Or something.