Brazilian sharpnose sharks found with cocaine in their livers and muscles highlight the impact of the illegal drug trade on marine life, scientists say.
By Rachel Pannett, The Washington PostGarbage floats on the waters of the Sao Joaquim canal, in the Barreiro neighborhood of Belem, Brazil, Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023.
The drug, along with benzoylecgonine, the major metabolite of cocaine, was found in their muscle tissue and livers. That was the case with another apex predator, Cocaine Bear, a 500-pound black bear in Georgia that overdosed on cocaine thought to have been tossed from a drug smuggler’s plane. The bear’s skeletal remains were discovered in 1985 by narcotics investigators. The story was loosely translated into a 2023 horror movie in which the bear went berserk.
Researchers previously found that the level of cocaine in waters around São Paulo, home to Brazil’s most populous city, was similar to the amount of caffeine in coffee and tea, which they described as a “huge concentration.” It has also been detected in the state’s drinking water.
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