Sharks in Brazil are testing positive for cocaine, say scientists

    Shark fish closeup taken through the glass of aquarium. (Credit: Getty Images)

    Scientists have found a number of sharks off the coast of Brazil testing positive for cocaine.

    The discovery was published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, in which scientists dissected 13 sharpnose sharks and found they all contained evidence of cocaine in their muscles and livers.

    Scientists are now concerned that the cocaine could alter the behaviour of the sharks and cause “serious toxicological effects” to the sea life in the Santos Bay area.

    The paper further theorises that the cocaine may have entered the sharks via untreated sewage; a more unlikely hypothesis suggests the cocaine may have come from drugs that have been dumped overboard in smuggling operations.

    Social media users have taken to X/Twitter to poke fun at the news, with one suggesting it may form part of a crossover series with the film Cocaine Bear: ‘Cocaine Shark (2025), Cocaine Bear x Shark (2026), Bear v Shark: 2 High 2 Furious (2027)’.

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