Page 7 - aruba-today-20220205

A7
WORLD NEWS Saturday 5 February 2022
Argentina reels as toxic batch of cocaine kills at least 23

By DÉBORA REY and VIC- sociation, told local televi-
TOR CAIVANO sion station Todo Noticias
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina that — unlike in Europe and
(AP) — A batch of cocaine the U.S. — poisoning from
that has killed at least 23 synthetic opioids hadn't
people in Argentina ap- previously been witnessed
pears to have been laced in Argentina.
with a synthetic opioid, The number of deaths
and police are scrambling from drug poisoning in-
to get as much of it off the volving cocaine in the U.S.
streets as they can. has more than tripled from
Health authorities say at roughly 4,500 per year a
least 84 people have been decade ago, according
hospitalized after using the to the 2020 national drug
contaminated cocaine, threat assessment report
some of whom remain from the Drug Enforcement
on life-saving respiratory Agency.
support. The victims were Some Argentine lawmak-
mostly young Argentines ers and television pundits
from poor neighborhoods made statements on Thurs-
around the nation's capital, day questioning whether,
Buenos Aires. in light of the incident, Ar-
Police and public officials Riot policemen stand guard during an operation in the Villa Sarmiento shanty town in Buenos gentina should consider le-
said that Argentina has Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, where it is believed people may have purchased con- galizing some drugs.
never before suffered a taminated cocaine. The Center for Legal and
drug-poisoning tragedy of Associated Press Social Studies, a non-gov-
this scale. Coverage of the ernmental research orga-
deadly cocaine led na- His mother, Natalia Santil- Toxicology tests to deter- Berni told reporters in the nization that advocates for
tional television broadcasts lán, said she was relieved mine which substance was capital. legalization, said a change
and was atop every news- her son had survived, but mixed with the cocaine One of the people arrest- in approach toward per-
paper. lamented others' deaths. haven't yet been complet- ed was Joaquín Aquino, sonal consumption would
Allan Santillán, 19, smoked "A lot of dead kids, it's all so ed. However, it appears to known as "El Paisa", who is enable greater oversight
the cocaine Tuesday night sad," she said. "Something be a synthetic opioid used the supposed leader of the and inspection.
before going to sleep and needs to be done, urgent- to intensify the effects of drug ring that sold the co- "Although prohibition is the
his mother, a nurse, rushed ly." cocaine, according to Ser- caine, Berni told reporters. rule almost everywhere in
him to a public hospital Police had confiscated gio Berni, security minister Authorities are investigat- the world, alternative mod-
early the next morning. 15,000 small bags of the for the Buenos Aires prov- ing whether its toxic com- els that emerged several
"I woke up with my liver shot contaminated drug as of ince. position was accidental, or years ago address con-
to hell, vomiting, and with Thursday, and arrested "Indirectly, we know it is an an attempt at score settling sumption from a rights per-
stomach pains," Santillán seven people, Buenos Aires opioid, because the an- between rival gangs. spective, leaving aside the
told The Associated Press in province's federal crimes tidote is administered (to Aldo Saracco, president of criminal system," the group
an interview at the hospital. unit said in a statement. patients) and they react," Argentina's toxicology as- said in a statement.q

Yacht reportedly built for Bezos too big for Dutch bridge

By ALEKSANDAR FURTULA Press on Friday that while cluding economic impact,
and MIKE CORDER a request has been sub- environmental nuisance
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands mitted by a shipbuilder for and possible risks to the
(AP) — A plan to tempo- the bridge to temporar- "monumental structure" of
rarily dismantle a recently ily be taken apart over the the bridge.
restored historic bridge in summer, no permit has yet "When the permit has been
the heart of Dutch port city been sought or granted. applied for, the municipal-
Rotterdam so that a huge "I think it's easy to under- ity can make a decision
yacht, reportedly being stand why it's so controver- about this, details can be
built for Amazon founder sial because this is a very further elaborated and a
Jeff Bezos, can get to the beautiful, recently restored plan can be made in the
North Sea is unlikely to be old bridge," said Rotterdam event of a positive deci-
plain sailing. resident Lizette Touber. "It sion," the statement said.
Reports this week that the really is our heritage. And The municipality declined
city had already agreed to I think that if the rich can to comment on who owns
take apart the Koningshav- pay for it to be opened, the yacht in question or
en Bridge, known locally which normally nobody identify the shipbuilder. An View of the Koningshaven Bridge, known as De Hef, (The Lift), in
as De Hef, sparked anger else could do, then you get email sent to Amazon seek- Rotterdam, Netherlands, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022.
with one Facebook event controversy." ing comment went unan- Associated Press
set up calling for people to In a written statement, swered. The current Hef
pelt the multimillion dollar Aboutaleb, who is on a railway bridge was opened nel. Public protests spared section of the bridge can
yacht with rotten eggs. visit to Colombia, said that for trains to cross the Maas it from demolition and it be raised to allow ships to
However, a spokeswoman once a request for a permit River in 1927 and taken out eventually underwent a pass underneath, but ap-
for Mayor Ahmed Abouta- is submitted it will be as- of service in 1993 when it three-year renovation that parently not high enough
leb told The Associated sessed based on factors in- was replaced by a tun- ended in 2017. The middle for the new yacht's masts.q