Not less than 20 people have reportedly died in Argentina after consuming cocaine suspected of containing a poisonous substance.
According to a statement from the province’s health ministry released on Wednesday, some oflficials believe some of the victims suffered from opioid intoxication.
Cases have been clustered around several towns in Buenos Aires province, officials and local media said on Wednesday February 2.
A government source said revealed that another 56 people have been hospitalised, adding that more are seeking hospital care in eight of the province’s municipalities due to the toxic cocaine.
The source said the death toll, currently from the towns of Hurlingham, San Martin, and Tres de Febrero, will likely rise further and the number of those hospitalised with serious illness is “constantly rising,”.
Provincial security forces detained some people suspected of selling the drug after the first deaths occurred on Wednesday.
Some local media outlets reported that the cocaine had been “cut” with a toxic substance, likely by a drug gang looking to reduce costs amid a turf war with rival groups.
“We are waiting for the laboratory results and the results of the investigations into the people who have been detained,” Sergio Berni, the province’s security minister, told local television.