Substance in cocaine that killed 24 in Argentina was an anesthetic for elephant

Hospital em San Martín, na Grande Buenos Aires, para onde foram levados vários dos envenenados com a cocaína adulterada

Hospital in San Martín, in Greater Buenos Aires, where several of those poisoned with adulterated cocaine were taken| Photo: EFE/Juan Ignacio Roncoroni

Two laboratory analyzes identified carfentanil in the adulterated cocaine that killed 24 people and left several hospitalized in the province of Buenos Aires last week.

2022 Carfentanil is a potent synthetic opioid used as a veterinary anesthetic in large animals such as elephants and rhinos. The information was published by the newspaper Clarín this Thursday (10).

2022Police will now investigate how the substance was added to the cocaine sold in Puerta 8, an emergency settlement located in Tres de Febrero, in the province of Buenos Aires. The main suspect of selling the drug, the Paraguayan Joaquín Aquino, nicknamed “Paisa”, was arrested last Thursday (3) and Argentina announced its expulsion from the country.