Published:
3 feb 2022 17:14 GMT
It is the first time that a case of this magnitude has occurred in the country, for which 10 suspected drug traffickers have already been arrested.
The sudden death of 23 people who consumed adulterated cocaine in Argentina unleashed an epidemiological alert and a strong controversy regarding drug policies and the levels of penetration of drug trafficking in the South American country.
The case, unprecedented in the country, began during the early hours of Wednesday, when dozens of people began to arrive at various hospitals in the province of Buenos Aires with the same symptoms: breathing difficulties, convulsions, narrowing of the pupils, nervous disturbances and psychomotor arousal.
Several of the patients explained that they had used cocaine, so the main line of investigation was that the drug had been altered with another substance. First, it was speculated with rat poison, but later it emerged that it might be fentanyl, a powerful and deadly opioid.
As of Thursday, investigators had not yet released lab results to determine what the cocaine was mixed with. Nor has it been possible to verify the version that the intoxication was the result of a “narco war” between gangs operating in the province.
According to this thesis, one gang infiltrated another to adulterate their merchandise and take away customers, but some investigators have already ruled out this possibility because there is no history of this type of operation among the organizations that compete for the drug market.
What is known is that the number of fatalities may continue to rise, as there are still 49 people hospitalized, 21 of them in serious condition.
In addition, the provincial police carried out operations in which they seized more than 8,000 doses of adulterated cocaine and arrested 10 suspected drug traffickers. The one with the most weight is Joaquín Villalba, alias ‘El Paisa’, and who has been a fugitive since mid-2020.
Discussion
Prosecutor Marcelo Lapargo, who is in charge of the investigation, warned that the mass death of drug users is “a very serious event” for public health, of which there is no precedent.
“It might be a settling of scores between drug traffickers, but that is conjectural, it is something exceptional that does not happen regularly,” he acknowledged.
The case sparked controversy, particularly because the government of the province of Buenos Aires launched an “epidemiological alert” in which it called on those who had purchased cocaine in the last 24 hours not to consume it because it put their health at risk.
⚠️ ALERT ⚠️???? If you have acquired cocaine in the last 24 hours, do not consume it.???? If you have ingested it and present symptoms such as increasing difficulty breathing or a tendency to sleep, go immediately to a health center.@BAProvinciapic.twitter.com/MjNAbqoXdG
– SaludBAP (@SaludBAP) February 3, 2022
The detractors considered that, with this call, the authorities encouraged the consumption of substances, although in reality the strategy is only in line with damage control policies, that is, setting aside prejudices and stigmatization to recognize that there are people who use drugs and reduce their harmful effects as much as possible.
The province’s security minister, Sergio Berni, defended the official response, considering that “This is not the time to discuss whether it is good or bad to consume”. “If you bought poisoned drugs, you have to discard it, don’t commit suicide, it’s a very serious problem, people are dying, there is no other alternative,” he said.
Some media outlets debated the relevance of legalizing drugs or not, to which the Minister of Security at the national level, Aníbal Fernández, was completely opposed despite the fact that he has repeatedly supported the regulation of marijuana.
“Someone said yesterday that the best way to combat drug trafficking is to legalize it, I don’t think so, in the case of marijuana I did, but not with this (cocaine),” he warned.
On the other hand, relatives of some of the victims warned that more prisons are not needed to fill them with drug users, but medical treatment for addictions.
