Discovery of shark cocaine use in Brazil

Analysis conducted by a Brazilian team on some sharks has revealed that the fish are using cocaine at high levels; raising fears of sharks committing unexpected acts under the influence of drugs that have spread among Brazilian sharks.

The British newspaper Telegraph reported that the Brazilian team Azvalto Cruz dissected 13 hammerhead sharks and found traces of cocaine in all their bodies.

These sharks were found near the shores of the Brazilian capital, Rio de Janeiro, on the Atlantic Ocean.

The study suggested that cocaine may have leaked into the sharks through sewage waters containing the urine of addicts or through cocaine waste generated by factories belonging to Brazilian drug dealers.

One member of the team explained that cocaine threatens the sharks' visual safety and thus their ability to hunt prey, while another scientist confirmed that sharks are not affected by a loss of perception due to drugs, unlike humans when they use them.