Five persons arrested in connection with death of Vincentian man in London

Fri Jan 03, 2013

POLICE HAVE arrested five people in connection with the death of a Vincentian man who died after consuming pear juice laced with cocaine.{{more}}

Joromie Lewis, 33, died on December 5 in the United Kingdom soon after drinking the Caribbean-made beverage at a Southampton warehouse where he was employed.

The Voice Online reported that police say he was “wholly innocent” in the fatal incident, in which the bottle of Cold Cole Pear-D juice was proved to contain a lethal quantity of cocaine, according to analysis.

According to the report, a woman and two men from Southampton and two men from London have been arrested for drug offences. They have since been bailed.

Investigators examining Lewis’ death are awaiting further toxicology reports.

Detective superintendent Dick Pearson, in Southampton, said: “This is a complex investigation covering the circumstances surrounding Mr Lewis’s death, as well as the drug-trafficking offences.”

Lacing imported foods and drinks with drugs is a known practice of smugglers hoping to evade border controls.

Authorities have warned shops to remove the Caribbean juice from shelves.

Lewis, born in St Vincent and the Grenadines, was a Royal Navy veteran and lived in Gosport, Hampshire.(From the voice-online)