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Argentina Sets 111 Deaths in Contaminated Fentanyl Case as Court Sends 159 Files to Forensic Review

A consolidated dossier to the Cuerpo Médico Forense will be followed by renewed interrogations of laboratory executives.

Overview

  • Judge Ernesto Kreplak forwarded 159 cases — 111 fatalities and 48 survivors — to forensic experts for case‑by‑case analysis that could refine the final toll.
  • Lab and forensic reports detected multiresistant bacteria, including Klebsiella and Ralstonia species, in sealed ampoules that increased patients’ risk of death.
  • Investigators traced the outbreak to production lot 31202, with batch records showing consecutive manufacturing without proper cleaning in December 2024.
  • The drug was manufactured and distributed by Ramallo S.A. and HLB Pharma; owner Ariel García Furfaro is processed and in preventive detention, with further questioning planned.
  • Congress is expected to take up oversight and medicine‑traceability reforms in March following recommendations from a special investigative commission.