When police mistake talcum powder for drugs, a man is imprisoned for 21 days.

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After authorities mistaken 18 canisters of talcum powder for cocaine and took three weeks to determine the true nature of the drug, an Argentinean man was unfairly imprisoned.

Maximiliano Acosta boarded a bus in Mendoza, the town, in early October to travel to Buenos Aires, the city. Soon after, a group of gendarmes stopped the bus in La Paz for what was ostensibly a regular inspection. The gendarmes questioned Acosta after finding out that he had eighteen packages of talcum powder in his luggage. The gendarmes arrested the man on suspicion of narcotics possession, even after he clarified that the containers actually had talcum powder for his own use. Tests conducted after the arrest reportedly revealed that the 18 containers contained cocaine, and Maximiliano was imprisoned without even informing his family of his predicament.

In a statement released on October 2, the Gendarmerie stated that 2 kilograms and 444 grams of cocaine had been recovered during the operation after authorities discovered that a citizen was carrying containers of talcum powder for personal hygiene in his bags as a consequence of the checks. Patricia Bullrich, Argentina’s Minister of Security, even shared a social media post about this scandal since it was so significant.

“LOTS of chatter, little effectiveness.” Carrying over 2 kg of cocaine concealed in talc containers inside a long-distance bus, a guy attempted to evade a checkpoint in Mendoza, according to Bullrich. “But because of his nervousness and suspicious demeanor, the Gendarmerie soon found him.”

The white material was sent to another lab for testing after Maximiliano Acosta protested, but he was imprisoned before the second results were received. According to the individual, his confiscated possessions were taken while he was in jail, and police didn’t even bother to notify his family that he had been detained.

In Mendoza, a man attempted to break a control by bringing more than 2 kg of hidden cocoa in talco containers inside a long-distance mini. However, the Gendarmería quickly discovered it because of his nervousness and suspicious behavior.

“We requested the passenger list over the phone. No one was aware of anything. According to the man’s mother, we were unaware of Maxi’s whereabouts for two days.

Prior to receiving the results of the second test, Maximiliano Acosta was held for 21 days. He was freed once it was discovered that the white powder was simply talcum powder. But rather than offering an apology, he was ejected from a country road and forced to urge drivers to go back home. A spokeswoman for the gendarmerie essentially told the media that Acosta’s detention was an honest error.

Since talcum powder is frequently mistaken for cocaine and the Security Forces cautioned that it might be a false positive, there is no problem with any investigation. “Unfortunately, they kept him in jail until it was proven,” Patricia Bullrich added.

To the Argentine media, Maximiliano Acosta’s mother said that he had fallen on hard times and had purchased the 18 talcum powder containers to resell in the capital. What’s the story’s lesson? Avoid being like Maximiliano; it can appear odd to have eighteen bottles of turmeric powder.