Researchers have identified the presence of cocaine in the body 13 sharks caught off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation reports.
“This is the world's first discovery of traces of cocaine in sharks… These results indicate high levels of drug consumption in the city, which are into the ocean through the sewage system,” the foundation said in a statement.
The study found that cocaine was present in the muscles and livers of 13 Brazilian longnose sharks, the meat of which is used for food.
According to one of the study participants, Enrique Mendes Sajjoro, the drug has previously been found in the water and in some marine animals, such as mussels, but this is the first time cocaine has been found in the body of sharks.