Adulterated cocaine kills 20, sickens 74 in Argentina

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Apparently adulterated cocaine has killed 20 people and seriously sickened 74 others in Buenos Aires, sending Argentine authorities on a frantic search for the remainder of the deadly batch before it is consumed. Experts are still analyzing the drug to determine what was in it that caused the deaths. Judicial officials said Wednesday that one hypothesis is that the cocaine was intentionally adulterated as part of a settling of scores between traffickers. An Argentine prosecutor says the event is “absolutely exceptional; we have no precedent.” Police say that the cocaine was sold in the poor neighborhood “Puerta 8” in a northern suburb of Buenos Aires and that a dozen people have been arrested.