This handout picture released on August 13, 2025, by the Argentine Federal Police shows fentanyl ampoules seized during a police operation in Rosario, Santa Fe Province, Argentina, on May 20, 2025. At least 87 people died in Argentina after allegedly receiving contaminated medical fentanyl, the judge in the case reported on August 13, 2025. (Photo by Handout / ARGENTINE FEDERAL POLICE / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / ARGENTINE FEDERAL POLICE / HANDOUT / " - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS
The death toll from contaminated fentanyl administered in Argentine hospitals has risen to over 100, with the government blaming a local pharmaceutical company for the tragedy.
According to officials, bacteria-infected fentanyl supplies were used in hospitals across four provinces and Buenos Aires since May. A spokesperson for President Javier Milei identified Ariel Furfaro Garcia, owner of HLB Pharma Group, as the manufacturer of the tainted batch. The country’s drug regulator, ANMAT, had already shut down the lab three months before the first deaths occurred.
Furfaro Garcia has denied any wrongdoing, claiming a former associate planted the accusations in the media. Relatives of victims have staged protests, demanding justice for those who died.
The escalating crisis comes just weeks ahead of the September 7 legislative elections in Buenos Aires province, seen as a precursor to October’s national mid-terms. At a rally in La Plata, Milei accused allies of former president Cristina Kirchner of covering up Furfaro Garcia’s role, calling him a “longtime Kirchnerist associate,” but offered no evidence.
The investigation began after ANMAT received a hospital report identifying contaminated fentanyl in its stock. Experts warn the death toll could climb further as more medical records are examined and unreported cases come to light.
AFP
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