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Evaluation of two 13-loci STR multiplex system regarding identification and origin discrimination of Brazilian Cannabis sativa samples

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Abstract

According to the Brazilian Federal Police (BFP), the Brazilian Cannabis sativa illicit market is mainly supplied by drugs originated from Paraguay and Northeastern Brazil (Marijuana Polygon region). These two known routes, the increasing indoor cultivations (supported by online market), and drugs from Uruguay are also in BFP’s sight. Forensic tools to aid police intelligence were published in the past years. In genetics, microsatellites have gained attention due to their individualization capability. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of two STR multiplex systems previously proposed in 94 Cannabis sativa samples seized in Brazil. Principal coordinate analyses (PCoA), forensic parameters, and genetic structure analysis were executed. Both panels were effective in individualizing and origin discriminating all samples, and the system proposed in 2015 demonstrated better results. For this marker set, the probability of identity for a random individual is approximately one in 65 billion; also, the PCoA shows a clear genetic distinction among samples according to its origin. Bayesian inference populational structure analysis indicated a significant genetic diversity among seizure groups, matching with its origin. Overall, the STR multiplex systems were able to achieve its purpose in individualizing and differentiating, according to geographic region, Brazilian Cannabis sp. samples.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Pietra Graebin and Catieli Lindholz for the technical support.

Funding

This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES) - Finance Code 001 (grant PRO-FORENSE 25/2014) and National Institute of Forensic Science and Technology (N°16/2014).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil

    Lucas de Oliveira Pereira Ribeiro, Eduardo Avila & Clarice Sampaio Alho

  2. Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia – INCT Ciências Forenses, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Lucas de Oliveira Pereira Ribeiro, Eduardo Avila, Roberta Fogliatto Mariot, Mauro Sander Fett, Flávio Anastácio de Oliveira Camargo & Clarice Sampaio Alho

  3. Departamento da Polícia Federal no Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil

    Eduardo Avila & Mauro Sander Fett

  4. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA

    Roberta Fogliatto Mariot

  5. Departamento de Ciências do Solo, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil

    Mauro Sander Fett & Flávio Anastácio de Oliveira Camargo

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  1. Lucas de Oliveira Pereira Ribeiro
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Correspondence to Lucas de Oliveira Pereira Ribeiro.

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de Oliveira Pereira Ribeiro, L., Avila, E., Mariot, R.F. et al. Evaluation of two 13-loci STR multiplex system regarding identification and origin discrimination of Brazilian Cannabis sativa samples. Int J Legal Med 134, 1603–1612 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-020-02338-5

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