A man in his 30s arrived at a hospital in the province of Buenos Aires late Wednesday afternoon (2). He had the same symptoms as the 20 people killed and the 74 hospitalized after allegedly using “poisoned” cocaine – difficulty breathing and standing, as well as seizures, family members told local media.
Authorities say the number of people affected in this case could be even greater than the 20 deaths and more than 70 hospitalizations reported by the end of Wednesday by the Argentine press.
The mother of another victim, who identified herself as Beatriz, said, in front of television cameras, that she found her 41-year-old son lying in the kitchen of the house where the two live, in a poor area of the same province. “My son had a cardiac arrest and could barely breathe. The ambulance took half an hour. But I understand, because there were many calls, for the same problem, at the same time. My son has been a drug user since he was 14, he is now intubated, but I have hope.”
At the entrance to the four hospitals where the victims were initially taken, families were crying and hugging each other outside while waiting for information about their relatives.
“What is happening is unprecedented. I ask those who bought [cocaína] in the last 24 hours that you discard it. It’s fulminating. This drug has an extremely deadly substance,” said Sergio Berni, Secretary of Security for the province of Buenos Aires. .
extreme intoxication
Advisors to the provincial government told BBC News Brazil that “the number of victims could be higher”. Nine people were arrested in an operation that resulted in the seizure of papers. The case caused a stir in the country. The television station América, from Buenos Aires, started to print on its screen the emergency telephone number of the Secretariat for Drug Prevention (Sedronar).
Former security minister Patricia Bullrich, an opponent of the current government, said that “it is a sad day in Argentine history”. Toxicology experts said the situation represented an “epidemiological alert” as it was not known how many people may have used adulterated cocaine.
“The health system should be attentive and prepared to receive these people urgently, it is not known how many may be in this critical situation. This situation must be faced as a health crisis of an epidemiological outbreak, as recommended by the CDC (Center for Control and Disease Prevention)”, said the president of the Latin American Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Roberto Debbag.
pink package
The envelopes with the pink contents were sold for 200 pesos (R$10) in the town of simple, unfinished houses in Puerto 8, according to local police. Police and investigators do not rule out that the sale of the drug could be part of the fight between drug gangs.
“During the pandemic, the consumption of alcoholic beverages and also drugs increased a lot”, said toxicologist Mónica Nápoli. The public debate, between government officials and toxicologists, was about what kind of “poison” could have been inserted into cocaine and whether the action was accidental or purposeful.
Toxicologist Carlos Damín told TV channel TN that cocaine is often “adulterated” in Argentina with “talc and anti-inflammatory drugs.” At first, it was speculated that the product had been mixed with rat poison, which was not confirmed by the local authorities.
Based on the victims’ symptoms, Damín gave his prognosis: “Cocaine is a stimulant. And everything indicates that, in this case, it was adulterated with opioids, which have the opposite effect. Therefore, the victims have a severe respiratory condition, they are asphyxiated. In my experience, it was not accidental, but on purpose.”
The opioid in question would be fentanyl, according to local media and provincial government sources. “It is cheaper and more destructive than cocaine,” said Alberto Fohrig, an expert on combating drug trafficking.
In a statement on Wednesday night, the Department of Health of the province of Buenos Aires reported that an “epidemiological alert” had been declared and that preliminary information indicated that the victims suffered “cases of intoxication by opiates and the existence of another related product is unknown”. .
The victims who were rescued were mainly from poor neighborhoods and communities in the province of Buenos Aires. The economic and social difficulties they face were also evidenced in this story that was described as “unprecedented” not only by Security Secretary Berni and toxicologists, but by Justice investigators. “What we need are more rehabilitation centers, not more jails. My son looks for a job and doesn’t find it, and when he finds it, he uses the money on drugs,” said Beatriz, the mother who found her 41-year-old son lying in the kitchen at Wednesday morning.
According to official data, poverty in Argentina, which has skyrocketed in the pandemic, exceeds 40% of the population of about 45 million people. In the unpaved alleys, between unfinished houses, in the poor areas, where the victims of “poisoned cocaine” live or lived, many residents seemed afraid to talk about the traffic in the place, avoiding the television microphones. But those who spoke showed their anguish.
“We are poor, simple people and we have seen these little boys, and now they can die. We are religious, we attend worship, we don’t want trouble. But today, seeing this situation, we are very sad,” a woman told TV. The sister-in-law of one of the victims who had been rushed to the hospital said that the drug had been used among people from different groups and from different places.
The same information was confirmed by the authorities of the province of Buenos Aires. “My brother-in-law went out with a friend after watching the Argentina national team play and consumed [a droga]. He is fighting for his life, on an artificial respirator, and his friend has died,” she said, who gave her name as Maria Morales.
Source: Folha
