A Japanese man who went into sudden convulsions on a flight to Japan from Mexico – and then dropped dead – had ingested nearly 250 packets of cocaine, officials say.
Prosecutors said the man, identified as Udo “N”, had arrived in Mexico City from Bogota, Colombia, a city once synonymous with cocaine but now improving its reputation. He had then taken off for Japan.
According to a report in the Independent, the man’s fellow passengers on the Aeromexico flight reported seeing him convulsing in the early morning as the flight headed for Tokyo Narita.
He had ingested 246 packets of cocaine and suffered an overdose, leading to a cardiac arrest shortly after takeoff, experts later discovered.
MEANWHILE, in a separate case, a man has appeared in court on drug importation charges in Sydney after allegedly importing cocaine valued at more than AUD 600,000 into Australia.
On Wednesday 1 May and Saturday 4 May, two separate consignments containing children’s books arrived into Sydney from Portugal.
The two consignments were x-rayed and inspected by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers at the International Mail Gateway in Sydney, where presumptive testing returned positive results for cocaine, with a total weight of 1.72kg.
The cocaine has an estimated potential street value of up to AUD 645,000.
The matter was referred to NSW Police Force and detectives from Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command commenced an investigation.
Following inquiries, investigators arrested a 31-year-old man on New South Head Road, Vaucluse, about 5pm on Friday 10 May.
Shortly after the arrest, detectives, with assistance from the Proactive Crime Team and Strike Force ODIN, executed a search warrant at a home on Old South Head Road, Vaucluse.
During the search, police allegedly located and seized electronic items and documents, as well as a small amount of cannabis.
The man was taken to Waverley Police Station and charged with import commercial quantity of border-controlled drug and issued with two cannabis cautions. He has subsequently appeared at Parramatta Local Court on Saturday 11 May and thre days later at Sydney Central Local Court.
Written by Peter Needham
