7‑year‑old girl in La Rioja tests positive for cocaine, parents investigated

A seven‑year‑old girl was taken to the Hospital de la Madre y del Niño with vomiting and diarrhoea. Routine urine tests revealed the presence of cocaine. The child was admitted for observation and is now stable, remaining under the care of her mother and maternal grandmother.

Family court judges, together with child‑protection services, opened an urgent investigation to determine how the drug entered the child’s system. Authorities are examining whether the exposure resulted from negligence or an intentional act by the parents. Depending on the findings, criminal proceedings may be initiated against one or both caregivers.

The case has drawn the attention of the local justice system and child‑welfare agencies, which are conducting interviews with the mother and the child in a protected setting to clarify the circumstances.