CÓRDOBA, Argentina — An ordinary day at a daycare center turned into a shocking police case when a 2-year-old boy pulled a pink coin purse out of his backpack — and teachers discovered it was filled with 71 individual doses of cocaine, ready for street sale.
That's what happened on Tuesday, August 18, at the Centro de Cuidado Infantil (Child Care Center) in Ampliación Cabildo neighborhood, in the southern part of Córdoba, Argentina's second-largest city. The little boy walked into the 'Sala Naranja' (Orange Room) with the purse in his backpack, and a teacher noticed him playing with it on the floor. Concerned about what could be inside, she opened it — and found a miniature drug stash that shocked even seasoned investigators.
The discovery that saved a child
The teacher's quick thinking turned out to be life-saving. The purse held 71 small bags of cocaína (cocaine hydrochloride), all neatly packaged — an amount that, according to police, was ready for retail distribution. Had the toddler swallowed even one dose, the result could have been fatal, as the drug is extremely toxic when ingested.
Daycare staff immediately called the 911 emergency line. When the boy's mother — a 21-year-old woman — returned a few minutes later demanding to have the coin purse back, saying she had 'lost it' and that it was 'how she fed her kids,' the teachers refused to hand it over. The police arrived shortly after and took her into custody.
The father's turn
But the story didn't end there. On Wednesday, August 19, officers from the Fuerza Policial Antinarcotráfico (FPA) — the narcotics unit — conducted a raid on a house in Manzana 34 in the same neighborhood. There, they arrested a 22-year-old man who turned out to be the father of the child. Inside the home, they found various doses of marijuana and other items related to drug sales.
Both parents were formally charged with “possession with intent to sell, aggravated by involving a minor” — a serious offense in Argentina that can lead to longer prison sentences.
Key details
- Date of discovery: August 18, 2026
- Place: Ampliación Cabildo, Córdoba City
- Mother's age: 21
- Father's age: 22
- Substance: 71 wraps of cocaine hydrochloride
- Also seized: Marijuana (in father's raid)
What the minister said
“The mother asked the teacher to give back the purse, saying it was how she fed her kids,” said Juan Pablo Quinteros, Security Minister of Córdoba. He praised the teachers: “Their training and commitment prevented this from passing unnoticed. They didn't look the other way. They warned in time and acted fast.”
The children are safe
The boy and his 3-year-old sister were both taken from the daycare by authorities and are now under the care of their grandmother. The minister highlighted that this case is not just about drugs but about “a social degradation we are living in, not only in Córdoba but across the country.”
“Imagine if the child had ingested one of those packages — we would be talking about a much more tragic situation.”
What's next?
The case is now in the hands of the Provincial Court in the Second Rotation Narcotics Fiscal Unit. Authorities are investigating whether the parents were part of a larger drug-selling network. For now, the teachers who alerted police have been praised as heroes for their courage and quick response — something that could be a model for other daycare centers.
Source: Original article at Todo Noticias (in Spanish).