Sharks could be getting high on cocaine dumped in Florida waters.
Sharks in Florida are getting high on cocaine
Experts are convinced that the hungry sea creatures could be getting addled on bales of the substance that have been dumped off the coast of the Sunshine State.
The new Discovery documentary 'Cocaine Sharks' examines if the ocean predators are eating the floating drugs cast overboard by traffickers but marine scientists behind the TV show have warned that the issue should not be taken lightly.
Dr. Tracy Fanara, a Florida-based environmental engineer and lead member of the research team, said: "It's a catchy headline to shed light on a real problem, that everything we use, everything we manufacture, everything we put into our bodies, ends up in our wastewater streams and natural water bodies, and these aquatic life we depend on to survive are then exposed to that.
"We've seen studies with pharmaceuticals, cocaine, methamphetamines, ketamine, all of these, where fish are being (affected) by drugs.
"If these cocaine bales are a point source of pollution, it's very plausible (sharks) can be affected by this chemical. Cocaine is so soluble that any of those packages open just a little, the structural integrity is destroyed and the drug is in the water."