Marcelo Lapargo, attorney general in San Martin who is in charge of the investigation, said in a television interview with C5N on Thursday that they were waiting for the results of the toxicological studies to determine the contents of the drug. He said that 10 people had been arrested, of whom six were detained.
“It could be a conflict between rival gangs. I don’t tend to believe that it was something unintentional … I’m extremely concerned for people who still have this in their pockets and may still consume it,” Lapargo said.
Investigators said that in raids they had seized thousands of doses of cocaine, pistols, ammunition, cash and mobile phones.
Some local media outlets reported that the cocaine had been “cut” with a toxic substance, possibly by a drug gang looking to reduce costs amid a turf war with rival groups. One relative claimed that the drugs had been laced with rat poison.
Investigators said that they still do not know what the cocaine was contaminated with. Reuters could not independently verify the claim that the substance was rat poison.
On Wednesday, the Buenos Aires health ministry declared an epidemiological alert and reinforced the distribution of medicines for the treatment of patients in hospitals.
“Drugs kill, cocaine kills,” said a person who gave his name as Leonardo and said that his brother was in a serious condition in hospital. “I don’t know what happened, whether it was done on purpose to kill.
“What can I tell you, this situation is serious because many have died.”
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