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Contaminated currency
Paper currency with cocaine or disease / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Most banknotes have traces of cocaine on them; this has been confirmed by studies done in several countries.[1] In 1994, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals cited findings that in Los Angeles, three out of four banknotes were tainted by cocaine or another illicit drug.[2][3]
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Studies indicate that banknotes may serve as a fomite—an inanimate object that can spread disease if contaminated—though researchers disagree over how easily diseases are transmitted by this mechanism.
Several theories have been suggested to explain this contamination beyond the predictable contamination due to handling during drug deals and the use of rolled up notes for snorting drugs. After the initial contamination, the substance is transferred to other notes in close contact, often stacked together, in enclosed environments common in financial institutions.