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Sharks test positive for cocaine in waters off Brazilian coast

They may have ingested the narcotics from illicit lab spillover, sewage from drug users or discarded packages from traffickers

Researchers bought 13 sharpnose sharks from small fishing vessels operating near Rio de Janeiro, dissected them, and tested their muscle and liver tissue for signs of contamination. Packages of drugs, which sharks can be attracted to and may ingest, are regularly dumped or lost in the ocean — pictured here is a haul spotted off the New Zealand coast However, the researchers cautioned that their sample size was “very limited” and the impact of cocaine on aquatic life, including any possible influence on shark behaviour, remains unclear.

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