Researchers Discover ‘Cocaine Sharks’ in the Bahamas

Step aside, cocaine bears, and make way for the cocaine sharks — creatures emerging in the Bahamas due to partygoers discarding drugs, including painkillers and caffeine, into the ocean.

A team of marine biologists and scientists from various international programs analyzed blood samples of 85 sharks from five different species in the region to test for at least 24 legal and illegal drugs, per CBS News.

Sharks in the Bahamas are consuming substances including caffeine, painkillers, and even cocaine, according to a new study by marine scientists who say it could potentially impact the animals’ health and behavior:

Twenty-eight of the sharks had detectable levels of caffeine, two common over-the-counter anti-inflammatory painkillers, or, in one instance, cocaine in their blood, according to the study. Some tested positive for more than one substance.

Medications, illicit drugs and other substances are “increasingly recognized as contaminants of emerging concern” in oceans and other bodies of water,